


Mighty Wind

by Jacie_popslash (Jacie)



Series: PopSlash: The Cave Series [2]
Category: NSYNC, Popslash
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Future, Camping, Horses, Hunting, M/M, Nature
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-03-16
Updated: 2004-03-16
Packaged: 2017-12-06 05:55:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 15
Words: 33,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/732193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jacie/pseuds/Jacie_popslash
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Justin almost drowns and Lance finds a horse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a sequel to Chris' Cave. I recommend you read that one prior to reading this.
> 
> Warning: Sexual situations/discussions, underage

Justin and Lance quickly learned that carrying water was not one of Jace’s duties. Normally Chris and Joey took care of it, but with the addition of two more members to their bachelor tribe, they needed almost twice as much water. Lance and Justin both were drafted into helping.

One afternoon Justin asked Chris, “Why doesn’t Jace have to help with the water?”

Chris playfully cuffed the back of Justin’s head. “He’s really thin and he shouldn’t be. He can’t keep any weight on, so we try not to let him do too much. He gets ill every winter. We’ve almost lost him a couple of times. There isn’t much to eat in the wintertime and he gets so weak. We usually only have dried meats, but Jace has been experimenting with drying fruits and vegetables and he’s found some nuts. Just to give us some variety. So we’re hoping he doesn’t get sick this year. I’m so afraid of losing him, Justin,” Chris confessed. “I love him so much and he takes such good care of us.”

“Do you love him like a wife?”

“Yes. I love him more than any maiden I have ever known.”

“And you desire him.”

“More than any maiden I have known.”

“Is it different, with a woman, than a man?”

“A little bit. Are you curious about the maidens?”

“Yes. I think so. I enjoy it, with you guys, but I wonder. Do you ever see maidens?”

“Not often. And usually they’re at a distance. Most tribes don’t want to see two young hunters walking into their camp. We would only go if we had a lot of extra food and furs to trade. Personally, I rather not have a woman around. All the maidens I knew were as whiney as you and complained twice as much.”

Justin scooped water into his hand and flung it at Chris.

Chris laughed. “They’re breasts are rounder and softer, much larger and you can mate them without oils, if you do it properly. Other than that, there is not much difference.”

“How did you and Joey lay with maidens and not be married or killed?”

“I didn’t have as many as him. It’s just a matter of charming the women and eluding the other men. And you’re right, we would have been killed had we ever been caught. It is a crime to take either an unwed maiden or another man’s wife.”

“But still you risked it?”

“The call of the loins is powerful. Lust can madden your mind if you don’t satisfy it.”

“When will you take me?”

“When Jace says you are ready. He says you should wait until you see your fifteenth season.”

“I was born in the wintertime. I will be fifteen seasons very soon.”

“You are fortunate. There is little to do in the wintertime other than stay in the cave and mate.”

“And haul water, I’ll bet.”

“Yes, there is that. We are making wine now and that will help. The wine does not freeze even if our fires go out. Jace has worked hard to make extra water pouches for this winter, but we will have to fill them from time to time. This year should be better. We built that large tub and Jace has lined it with skins. We should be able to fully bathe in it on warmer days. And he’s dried herbs and roots which he says will help keep us healthy. We will do fine.”

Justin was already mourning the loss of the swimming hole. They could still pull water from it, but it was already too cold to go swimming.

After two months of hunting trips with Joey and Chris, Lance’s body became toned. During one trip, they had set two braids into Lance’s hair, each one framing one side of his face.

“You are a young hunter now, a junior hunter. You will be a full hunter when you have hunted for a full year,” Joey told him, slapping him on the back.

Every two or three months Joey and Chris ripped out the threads that bound their braids and started anew. Chris always had more braids in his hair than Joey did, and liked to insist they got a pair of braids for every kill they took lead in. Joey would just laugh and punch Chris’ shoulder.

Joey and Chris still occasionally tested Lance’s nerves and he was still quiet around them, but he was getting used to them. They remained true to their word and hadn’t touched him on their many hunting trips. Most nights Joey and Chris laid together, while Lance slept across the fire from them. Sometimes, the pair slept as well, if they were nearly exhausted.

Back at the cave, Justin and Jace slept together when the other three were away hunting. When they were all in the cave, Jace still alternated between sleeping with Chris and Joey. Justin would take the other man, but often slipped out of the furs late at night and they would find him wrapped up with Lance in the morning.

Lance continued his chores without a complaint and more often than not, he would help Jace and Justin with their cooking, sewing or other work, while Joey and Chris did very little when they were in camp, other than bringing up water and firewood.

Justin occasionally complained and occasionally stomped around camp in a snit, insisting that he had to work harder than anyone else who had ever existed on the entire planet. He was even less pleased when their watering hole began to ice over. Not only was it bitterly cold, but the trail up the mountain was steep and slick with ice and snow. More than once Justin got more than halfway up the mountain trail, only to slip and fall, losing all his water. He often cursed Jace’s name all the way, but could never stay mad within the man’s presence. Chris was the one who made strong posts, attaching sharpened rocks to the end, and would break through the ice when it froze over. They repeatedly warned Lance and Justin about walking on the frozen water.

As if it were inevitable, Justin did slip and fall into the water one day. Lance leaped in after him without pausing to think about it. Finding Justin wasn’t the problem. Lance was able to find him quickly and grab his furs. When he tried to surface, he found the way blocked by ice. Justin’s eyes were bugging out and he was near panicking as Lance held onto Justin with one hand and punched the ice with the other. When he couldn’t break through quickly, he moved to another spot and tried there. When he finally pushed through, he took a deep breath then pushed Justin’s head through so he could breathe. 

Justin tried to pull himself out, but only managed to make the hole larger. Lance finally tugged at Justin and pulled him down, so he could come up for air himself. Looking around, he could see the place they had fallen in. After pushing Justin up one more time for air, Lance began pulling them back. A thin layer of ice was already forming around the hole. Lance struggled to pull himself out, but he couldn’t do it with one hand.

“Justin, Justin, please. You need to hold on. Please. I can’t hold you up and pull myself out. All you have to do is hold on, I’ll get you out, I promise.”

Justin’s teeth chattered, but he nodded. His voice was barely audible when he began mumbling, “So cold. So cold.”

“I know, just hold on and we’ll go up to the fire.”

With Justin somewhat secure, Lance attempted to pull himself out. The ice was slick and the movement Lance made pushing out of the water often caused Justin to lose his grip and slip beneath the water’s surface. Lance was sure Justin’s lips were turning blue and the boy’s skin was beginning to turn pale like the dead. On his fifth try, Lance was finally able to push himself out. He quickly fashioned a sling out of the water pouches and slipped it beneath Justin’s arms. After pulling ties from his own clothing, Lance was able to stand far enough back to get some traction beneath his feet and finally pulled the boy out of the water. Justin was no longer moving. His body felt cold and his eyes were shut. Lance abandoned their water pouches and pulled Justin into his arms and ran as best he could to the mountain path. 

He didn’t get too far, before he realized he was too weak, Justin was too heavy and the mountain path was too icy and steep for him to get the boy back up to the cave. Tears welled in his eyes as he knew Justin would die if he wasn’t warmed up soon. 

“Hold on Justin. Just hold on for me.”

Justin gave no response. Lance stuck nearby, dragging branches from the trees. It took him several minutes, but he was able to get a small fire going. It wasn’t enough to warm Justin, but that wasn’t why Lance lit it.

Jace was near the cave’s entrance cooking. They still cooked outside so they didn’t fill their cave with smoke. He didn’t notice it at first, but he did notice eventually.

“Chris, Joey, come here.”

“What?”

“Smoke. And right below us.”

“Let’s go, Joey. It’s got to be Lance and Justin. They’re in trouble. We better take a couple dry furs.”

When they found them, Lance had wrapped himself around Justin. Tears rolled down Lance’s cheeks when he saw them. “He slipped in the water. I tried to save him. I tried to save him.”

“Baby, you need to get those wet skins off. Now. We have a dry fur for you.”

Lance stood up, hands shaking as he began to undress. Chris turned to Justin, listening at his chest and pulling his skins off as well. “Lance can you walk?”

“Y-y-yes. I think so.”

“Wrap up and go. Joey and I will bring Justin.”

“Does he still breathe?”

“Yes, barely. You did good Lance, now go up to the cave. Tell Jace to get you some hot tea. Go. Tell Jace we’ll be up. Do not let Jace come down here. Tell him to stay at the cave and take care of you.”

Joey was a bit confused when Chris loosened his own clothing and lay down beside Justin, holding him close and lying on the dry fur they had brought down.

“Is he really still alive?” Joey wondered. “He looks kind of dead.”

“He’s barely breathing. He’s so cold Joey. I don’t know if we can save him.” Chris leaned forward, placing his mouth on Justin’s. When he looked up again, he saw Joey staring down. “Joey, get undressed and lie behind him.”

“What are you doing?”

“Warming him up. Hurry. We need to warm him. He’s near frozen.”

“Maybe we should get him to the fire.”

“He won’t make it. Not unless we can warm him up a bit first. It’s going to take us a long time to get him up to the cave. He won’t make it if he’s half frozen before we start out. Now get your ass undressed and help me.”

Joey did as Chris asked and they held Justin’s cold body between them, pulling their own fur over them for added warmth. When Justin’s breath grew faint, Chris would place his mouth over the boy’s and would breathe warm air into the youth’s lungs.

Lance struggled up the path until he made it, nearly collapsing by the fire. 

Jace threw an arm around him, hugging Lance’s shoulders. “What happened?”

“J-J-Justin f-f-fell in the water. I j-j-jumped in after him. So c-c-cold. C-C-Chris said you should m-m-make me some t-t-tea. And s-s-stay put.”

“Where’s Justin?”

“J-J-Joey and C-C-Chris are b-b-bringing him.”

Jace rummaged through his collection of dried leaves and made a tea mixture for Lance, handing him a cup of tea when it was ready. They both kept an eye on the top of the path leading to their cave. Hours drifted past them and no one came up the path.

Jace had wrapped Lance in a set of clean, dry skins and covered him with thick furs, laying him near the fire. Every few minutes, Jace helped Lance sit up and drink more tea, before laying him back down to rest.

“Why are they taking so long?” Jace asked.

Lance began to cry, but claimed he didn’t know. Jace no longer saw the smoke rising. When he suggested he start down the trail to meet them, Lance begged Jace to stay, to take care of him and not leave him alone. Jace acquiesced. And sat down, placing Lance’s head in his lap, stroking the younger man’s hair.

“You’re so young, yet you’ve been through so much. It was so brave to jump in the frozen water to save him.”

Lance sniffled, “I’m not sure I did, Jace. I’m sorry. I tried. I really tried. I had to break through the ice. I thought I had saved him.”

“Is Justin dead?”

“I don’t know. Chris said he was still breathing, but he was turning blue. He was so cold.”

Jace held onto Lance tightly while a few tears ran down his own cheeks.

It was near nightfall when Jace heard Joey and Chris trudging up the path. Lance had fallen asleep, so Jace gently slid from beneath him. Earlier, Jace had grabbed one of their torches, which he lit as he rose and headed toward the path. Chris appeared first, then Joey, between them they carried a pole. Tied to the pole was the fur they had taken, weighted down by what was obviously Justin’s body.

Jace ran over, placing his hand on the fur. “Is he dead?”

Chris lowered the pole to the ground. “Why the hell would we haul a dead body up that damn path? It’s downright treacherous and it’s not like we could bury him up here anyway. Really Jace. He’s just cold is all. He’ll be fine. We’ll have to go for water tomorrow though.”

They allowed Lance to sleep as they brought Justin in and placed him beside the fire, wrapped in furs. By the next morning, Lance was nearly good as new, while Justin was still unconscious and also warm with fever. It took two weeks before Justin was well enough to stand up unassisted. About the time he was healthy again, Jace fell ill, unable to care for himself. The others did their best to feed him, but he threw up half of what he ate and the convulsions only made him weaker.

For the two months Jace was ill, Lance tended to him while Justin tended to Joey and Chris’ needs. They shared the cooking duties, while Joey and Chris spent their free time hauling water and firewood up the path. When they did go hunting, they left Lance behind to tend to the camp and Jace. Although they were only two years apart, Lance had shown the capabilities of handling situations like an adult, while Justin was still a child in many ways, excitable where Lance was clear headed and indecisive, where Lance could quickly make decisions and act upon them. It was these qualities of Lance’s that had saved Justin’s life and quite possibly Jace’s as well.

The deer and antelopes had moved on for the winter season. About the only thing the guys could find to hunt worth eating were rabbits. If they traveled far enough and were lucky enough, they may come across moose or bison. Both animals were really too large to haul back to the cave whole, so if they managed to kill one, Chris and Joey would have to butcher it on the spot and haul away what they could. Most of the time they could get away safely by leaving the remainder of the carcass to attract the wolves and coyotes.


	2. Chapter 2

When Jace’s fever finally broke, he awoke thin and weak. A week later, Justin woke up giggling and smiling, declaring that it was his birthday. He had now survived his fifteenth season.

Chris was suspicious, questioning the boy, “How do you know that today is your birthday?”

“I counted. Middle of the winter season. My mother told me. We used to celebrate every year. Don’t you all know when you were born?”

“I was born in the autumn about the time the leaves fall from the trees.”

“How old are you?”

“I’m not really sure, but more than twenty seasons. Maybe twenty-three or twenty-four.”

“That’s pretty old. If you were in a clan, you would have a wife and children by now.”

“Most clans don’t allow younger males to take wives. Not unless an older male has died. Then maybe. Most clans kill their young men or kick them out.”

“I want to do something fun for my birthday.”

“Like?”

“I want you to mate with me. For real. I’ve been with you for six months and I’m fifteen seasons now. I am ready.”

Chris smiled. “You sure are a persistent little bugger.”

“Can we? Will you?”

“If Jace agrees it’s okay.”

Justin walked away mumbling, “Bad as the clan. Damn menfolk won’t do anything unless their wives say it’s okay.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing!” Justin pouted as he made his way over to Jace, who was sitting near the smaller fire. Justin walked over and laid his head into Jace’s lap. “I’m ready, Jace. It’s my birthday and I’m ready. Can you tell Chris I’m ready?”

Jace smiled weakly and stroked Justin’s hair. It was dirty again. They couldn’t wash as often or as thoroughly in the winter as in the other seasons. Leaning over, Jace kissed Justin’s forehead. “Happy birthday. We should do something special. Tell Joey and Chris to bring out some wine so we can celebrate.”

“You’re going to drink with us?”

“Only on special occasions, baby.”

Chris chuckled as he pulled Justin onto his lap. The teen was now at least as tall as him and almost as heavy. While Lance already had the build of a man, Justin still had the gangly build of a growing child. Sometimes he seemed to be a sprawl of arms and legs. Still young enough to enjoy cuddling up on Chris’ lap, yet old enough to want more. Whenever Chris suggested Justin was getting too big to sit in their laps, the youth would pout, until someone pulled him onto their lap and cuddled him.

Chris held a mug full of wine up to Justin’s lips. He drank deeply. Joey kept the mugs full. Justin idly fingered the beard Chris had allowed to grow back when the winds grew cool.

“How old were you when you could grow this?”

“Me? About twelve seasons.”

Joey chuckled as Justin’s eyes grew wide. Not to be outdone, he haughtily declared, “Mine sprouted in the middle of my tenth year.”

Chris roared with laughter as Justin pouted. Chris held him tightly, squeezing his waist as he whined, “When am I going to have my own? I’m old enough!”

Kissing him gently, Chris teased, “Good thing Jace didn’t say you had to wait until your beard sprouted before you were ready for mating.”

Without another word to Chris, Justin slid off of his lap and walked around the fire to where Jace was sitting, quietly talking to Lance. Justin plunked himself onto Jace’s lap with no advance warning. The pair flipped over, landing in a heap of twisted arms and legs.

Lance offered his hand to Jace first, then to Justin.

As Jace reseated himself, he pulled Justin gently to his lap. “Chris is right, you know, you are getting too big for this.” Jace paused, tugging at Justin’s curls. “You’re practically a full grown man.”

“When am I going to grow a beard? Chris said he was twelve when he got his and Joey claims he was ten and.”

“Justin, have you ever seen a boy of less than fifteen seasons have the beginnings of a beard? It is true that Joey and Chris probably had the beginnings of the growth by the time they were fifteen, but that is how things seem to go. Hair sprouts more quickly on the face of a dark haired man.”

“What about you?”

“You know I scrape mine off.”

“How old were you?”

“Maybe seventeen or eighteen. They look horrible Justin and they are such a pain to scrape off. I can’t imagine why you’re pining for one. I would gladly give you mine if I could.”

Justin reached up to stroke Jace’s jaw line. “I think Lance may be starting to get his. If you look really closely, he has a handful of stubbly looking hairs on his face. I’ve been plucking them out.”

“Justin!”

“I don’t want him to have a beard before me.”

“He’s almost two full years older than you.”

“I know. But I’m tired of always being the baby.”

Jace pushed Justin’s head onto his shoulder and rubbed a hand up and down Justin’s back. “You’re always going to be the youngest of us five, but that’s not a bad thing.” Jace brushed light kisses across Justin’s hair and forehead. He could smell the wine on the boy’s breath, so he tilted Justin’s head up so he could taste his lips, still sweet with wine. Justin faded into sleep as Jace held him close and rocked him, thinking he was still very much a little boy in many ways.

A couple hours later, a drunken Joey nudged an intoxicated Chris. “I’m ready to go to bed. Why don’t you come get your drunken boy off Jace’s lap.”

Stumbling awkwardly, Chris approached the pair, leaning down to kiss Jace on the lips, then Justin on the forehead. “Come on Justin. Time to hit the furs, baby.”

Justin wrapped his arms around Jace’s neck. “Tell him I’m ready, Jace. Please tell him I’m ready. You said I could when I was fifteen and I am. Now. So ready.”

“Sure baby, if that’s what you want.”

Chris raised his eyebrows. “No lecture tonight about he’s not old enough, not ready or that he shouldn’t make this decision when he’s drunk?”

“You act as if he hasn’t been begging for this for months, even when he’s wide awake and sober. He’s been good. You, too. He obviously wants to. Just don’t hurt him, Chris. And if he gets scared, you need to stop, okay?”

“Sure. I’ll take good care of him. Come on Justin.”

Justin reached sleepily toward Chris, wrapping his arms around Chris’ neck.

“You’re going to have to walk, sweetie.”

“Carry me.”

“You’re too big. Jace said you’re ready, but you have to walk on your own. No pouting either.” 

Joey had to help Jace to his feet and into the cave. Holding Justin on his lap for two hours had rendered his legs nearly numb. “That boy is just getting too big for this. The way he’s growing, he’ll be bigger than me before he’s sixteen.”

Joey was smiling as he laid Jace down in the furs and undressed him quickly. Jace snuggled close to Joey for warmth.

Across the cave, Chris and Justin lay on top of Chris’ furs kissing as Chris reached to tug off Justin’s clothing. Justin batted the older man’s hands away, mumbling, “Too cold. Too cold.”

“This has to come off. Jace said you’re ready. Aren’t you ready, baby? Waited so long.” Chris licked his way up Justin’s neck, then nipped at his jaw line.

“So ready.”

“Then this has to come off.” 

Closing his eyes, Justin lay down as he felt Chris untie the lacings and push his clothing aside. 

“Are you okay, Justin? Do you need more wine?”

Justin kept his eyes closed and breathed in deeply. “No, I’m fine. I’m ready. Go ahead.”

Chris smiled as he pulled back the furs to crawl in. In the diminishing firelight, he could see Justin’s fear. The boy was lying stiffly on his back, both arms straight down at his sides and his hands clenching into fists. His breathing was short, while his eyes remained shut. When Chris touched him, he trembled.

“Baby, we don’t have to do this,” Chris offered, nuzzling Justin’s neck.

“I want to.” His voice was soft and unconvincing. 

Chris moved in slowly, rubbing his hands gently across Justin’s body, caressing. After licking Justin’s neck, Chris blew across it gently then moved down to Justin’s shoulder, allowing his tongue to glide across the smooth skin. When he reached Justin’s clenched fist, Chris took it into his hands, then kissed every knuckle, before opening the hand to expose the fingers. Each finger was kissed separately before being sucked into Chris’ mouth. After leaving them damp, Chris blew a gentle warm breath across them. Justin’s breathing steadied. 

Taking his time, Chris’ hands slipped down to Justin’s hips, as he lapped his tongue across Justin’s stomach, until the youth giggled. With a few pokes to Justin’s waist, Chris had the boy squealing with laughter. “Are you ready, baby?”

“So ready. It won’t hurt will it? Lance said it hurts really bad. At first. Does it?”

“Yes, I’m sorry, but it is going to hurt, but then it gets better. Didn’t Jace explain this all to you?”

“I guess.”

“We don’t have to. If you’re not really ready.”

Justin sniffled. “I’m old enough now. I am ready. I can handle it.”

“Okay, just relax.”

Rising to his feet, Chris wandered into the back of the cave, returning moments later. Without another word, Chris pushed Justin’s legs apart, nipping playfully at the youth’s thighs. Reaching over to the bowl of oil he had set nearby, Chris slicked down one finger and pressed it into Justin slowly. Allowing a couple minutes for the boy to get used to the feeling, Chris soon added a second finger. That had been the furthest they had ever gone before, just two fingers. Justin now whimpered as Chris added a third finger. Intent on distracting the boy from his discomfort, Chris took Justin’s cock into his mouth and began to suck, matching the rhythm with the thrusting of his fingers.

Running his hands up and down Justin’s legs, Chris gently lifted them onto his shoulders and pushed closer. When Chris began to penetrate the youth, Justin cried out. “Are you okay? Justin?”

“It hurts,” the boy sobbed quietly. Jace had told him it wasn’t that bad, but right now it was feeling awfully painful. He didn’t want to complain though, since he had been begging Chris to do this for months. Justin wasn’t even sure if he was crying because of the pain, or because he was beginning to feel that he really wasn’t ready for this. As he wept, he couldn’t seem to stop his body from tensing.

“Baby, if you relax it won’t hurt as much,” Chris promised. When he felt Justin’s muscles tighten, he pulled out. Using his thumb, he wiped away the tears from one of Justin’s cheeks. “Baby, you don’t have to do this. It’s okay. We can just kiss and touch like we usually do.”

“I want to do this,” Justin sobbed. “I just don’t want it to hurt so much.”

“Do you want more wine?”

“No. Just let’s try again, okay?”

“Work on relaxing. I swear it doesn’t hurt nearly as much if you relax. Take deep breaths. I need you to roll over for me, hands and knees.”

“Why?”

“It’ll hurt less.”

Justin felt like an inadequate child as he rolled over and adjusted his position as Chris directed. It still hurt when Chris penetrated him, but he tried to breathe deeply and relax. Chris had always made him feel good before, but not this. This felt so bad that he tried to block it out of his mind.

When he was finished, Chris rolled Justin over, dried his tears and cuddled him close, placing Justin’s head on his shoulder. Justin cried himself to sleep as Chris assured him it would get better.

The next morning, Justin didn’t want to do anything except lie in the furs and sleep long after everyone else got up. After breakfast, Jace came in to bring some food for Justin.

“I need to check you, to see if you’re bleeding.”

Wordlessly, Justin rolled onto his stomach and allowed Jace to poke and prod and apply medication as he pleased.

“You could have asked him to stop,” Jace whispered, “and he would have. He didn’t intend to hurt you.”

“It didn’t hurt.”

“Justin, we heard you crying. All night. And I know it hurts the first time. But it does get better. I promise. As you get used to it.”

“I want it to feel better now.”

“Patience, child.”

“I’m tired of being a child. I want to be a man, like Chris and Joey. And Lance.”

“I’m a man, too, you know.”

“You’re an anomaly.”

Jace had to laugh. “You are right.” Leaning down, he kissed Justin’s temple. “You will be a man soon enough. Some tribes say you are a man at thirteen. I think that perhaps you start changing at thirteen, but it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes years to develop from a boy into a man. You are already changing. You’ve grown a hand’s width since you’ve been with us. I think you are taller than Chris now and you’re growing faster than Lance. One day you will be a tall, brave warrior.”

“One day,” Justin mused. “Jace, did I do something wrong?”

With lingering fingers, Jace stroked Justin’s face. “No, sweetie. You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re just young and it’s new. You need to relax. When you’re all scared and tensed up, it’s going to hurt a lot more. Next time just try to relax, okay?”

“That’s what Chris kept telling me. That I needed to relax more. I want you to help me, next time they all go hunting. I want you to help me relax.”

“Are you more comfortable with me?”

“Yeah, I think so. I like them, Chris and Joey, but I’m more comfortable with you.”

Jace laid down beside Justin, taking the younger man in his arms. Jace talked for hours, telling Justin stories and telling him about sex. Justin listened and asked questions. Hours past before Lance came in to check on them. Chris and Joey were hungry and wanted Jace to fix them lunch. Lance stayed with Justin, while Jace tended to the others.


	3. Chapter 3

Despite the hunting trips, hauling water and firewood and helping Jace when he could, Lance grew restless over the winter months. He often paced and rarely smiled. Chris said Lance was acting like a prowling wolf and his eyes were constantly blazing in Jace’s direction. Even Chris and Joey noticed Lance’s hands shook sometimes when he was close to Jace. Other times he would stand near Jace, with his eyes closed, just inhaling Jace’s scent. They left him alone about it, with the exception of Chris occasionally rolling his eyes and mumbling that Lance was ‘ _completely deranged_ ’.

As the seasons began to change, Lance began some little side project. The others would notice him bringing tree branches up and taking a couple large skins back behind the rocks and fussing about out of sight. No one ever bothered him. They believed he was entitled to a little privacy, especially when he began to act stir crazy.

One night Joey nudged Chris’ foot as they sat beside the fire, speaking softly, “What do you think he’s up to?”

Chris glanced over to the rocks Lance liked to disappear behind. “I think he’s building a shelter, either because he doesn’t like being inside the cave, or he just wants somewhere to spend a little time alone. If you know what I mean.”

“Alone with his manhood?”

“Exactly.”

After two weeks of Lance messing about behind his rocks, he began stalking Jace again, trailing him as if he were hunting him. One afternoon, he found his opportunity, when the others had gone for water. Lance pounced on Jace and hauled him behind the rocks, beneath his newly built shelter. Throwing Jace onto his back, Lance laid on top of him, kissing him hungrily. The force caused Jace’s teeth to scrape harshly against his lips, drawing blood.

“Lance. Lance. Stop,” Jace pleaded. Lance had grown lean and muscular from hunting and working, making it difficult for Jace to push him away. “Lance, please stop.”

Pulling back, Lance frowned.

“Lance, what’s going on?” Jace asked, wiping the trickle of blood from his mouth.

“I never get a chance with you. I’m a hunter, too, yet they won’t share. Chris gets you one night. Joey gets you the next. And the other one gets Justin. All I get is Justin after he’s been with one of them and all he wants to do is be held while he falls asleep. It’s not fair. I want you. I want to be with you. I need to be with you.”

Jace smiled, wrapping his arms around Lance’s back. “They won’t be back for a while. Do you want me now?”

“Yes, Jace. Yes.” Lance took his mouth again, almost savagely with his desire. His hips automatically began humping against Jace. “Need you, want you,” he panted.

The pair struggled out of their clothing. Jace took a good look at Lance’s body. He hadn’t really noticed how sleek and trim Lance had become. Going hunting with Chris and Joey had done the boy’s body a world of good. Jace reached for Lance as he leaned over.

“Lance, you are so beautiful, so grown up. I want to be with you, too.”

Lance reached for the oil he had set nearby. After pumping his cock with an oil slick hand, Lance slid on top of Jace as Jace’s arms wrapped around his back. Lance’s mouth muted Jace’s moan as Lance entered him, while wrapping his arms underneath Jace’s, securing him. Lance quickly fell into a hastened rhythm. He didn’t want it to last. He couldn’t wait that long. Jace locked his legs around Lance’s waist and held on. When Lance was close, he began sucking on Jace’s neck, marking him. As Lance came, he bit down on Jace’s neck, causing the man beneath him to claw at his back.

Lance pushed back, a fire still blazing in his eyes. Jace froze in fear as Lance grabbed his wrists and pinned him to the ground. 

“Lance, please let me up,” he pleaded.

Shaking his head, Lance leaned over to take Jace’s mouth again. Jace forced himself to relax. He didn’t kiss back this time, but allowed Lance to take what he wanted. And Lance did want.

Jace remained still as Lance ran his hands across his torso. Closing his eyes, Lance began sucking at one of Jace’s nipples, bringing it to hardness. Jace tenderly settled his hands on the back of Lance’s head, caressing it, threading his fingers through the blond hair. Lance’s tongue floated across Jace’s chest to swirl around his other nipple.

“Lance.”

“Need you. Need you so bad. Want you. I burn for you. Need you so much. I can think of nothing else, just you. Just you.”

Taking a deep breath, Jace looked around. The shelter Lance had built was sturdy, not intended to be a temporary shelter at all. It would survive wind and rain. It would protect from sun as well. Too small for a living space, it seemed to be built only for one reason. It was only tall enough to sit up in, but was easily wide enough and long enough for two men to lay in. A thick fur padded Jace’s back from the ground. Perhaps even two furs. The padding was thick and warm. Jace relaxed back against it. It smelled of green wood and pine.

“Lance, what do you do with Justin?”

“Not this. Never this. Just holding and kissing. Sometimes we use our hands to come, but he’s usually tired after being with Chris or Joey.”

“And you’re not comfortable with being with Joey or Chris? Like on the hunting trips, I mean.”

“They sleep together. I sleep alone. I want you Jace, so much that it aches, in my loins and in my heart.”

A smile crossed Jace’s lips. “You built this for me, didn’t you? For us?”

“Yes, so I could take you where they couldn’t see. They won’t let me have you and I must have you, Jace. I must. Need you so much.”

Gently stoking Lance’s back, Jace could feel the thin welts he had raised. “I’m sorry I scratched you. I was. When you bit my neck I was afraid.”

“I would never hurt you. I wish to have you as my mate. They never let me have you. It’s not fair. I’m a hunter, too. I should get a night with you and with Justin.”

“Have you told Chris and Joey that?”

“I thought maybe you could talk to Chris.”

Pulling Lance close, Jace kissed him slowly, licking at his lips. “Baby, if you want to be treated like a hunter then you must act like one. I cannot make this stand for you. You need to stand up to Chris and Joey and tell them. Tell them what you want, what you deserve. It’s the only way they will respect you.”

Lance’s tongue gently lapped across the reddened mark he had left of Jace’s neck. There wasn’t much blood from when he bit down, but he had certainly marked the man beneath him. He wanted him and he had marked him, yet the fire of want still burned within Lance. His voice was breathy as he whispered, “Want you. Always.”

Lance moved slower the second time he entered Jace. The first time was frantic with lustful want, the second time was for pleasure. Their bodies were still slick with sweat from the first time they made love. Lance’s hands roamed, caressing Jace, enjoying his entire body. His kisses had turned from savage to sloppy and inexperienced. Jace moaned as he pressed his tongue into Lance’s mouth, twining with Lance’s. 

Lance adjusted his rhythm, slowly filling Jace then pulling back. This time he wanted to make it enjoyable for them both. He knew he had hurt Jace the first time. The evidence was on Jace’s neck. So this time he took it slow, kissing Jace’s mouth and lapping at his lips.

“Love you Jace. So much. Need you, want you,” Lance moaned, licking at Jace’s ear.

The vibration from Lance’s voice brought Jace to hardness and he arched his back, moaning against Lance’s neck. “Talk to me Lance. Your voice. Love you. Touch me. So good.”

After kissing Jace once more, Lance pushed himself up. Looking down almost brought tears to his eyes. Jace’s eyes were closed and his breath came in short pants, but he was still so beautiful. 

“Oh Lance, right there. Oh baby, please. Talk to me. Oh Lance, faster, please. Faster.”

Before Lance leaned back down, Jace slipped his hand onto his own cock and began pumping its length. The sight put a smile on Lance’s face. “Jace, I want to be with you forever. You are so beautiful. I love you so much.” Grunting, Lance increased his speed. He knew he had hit something inside of Jace, who was still lying back with his eyes closed. Lance moved forward to claim Jace’s mouth once again. Jace moaned and began sucking Lance’s tongue, which caused Lance to come with a breathy sigh. Jace came moments later.

They lay in silence for several minutes, occasionally kissing. With Lance still on top of Jace, he apologized, “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just. I wanted you. It was making my mind crazy. All I could think about was being with you.”

“A man must plant his seed, or he becomes mad with desire. That is why the clans send their boys away as soon as they see the signs. The men know it won’t be long before the boys must satisfy their desire.”

“I wish we could leave, just you and me, and be together for always. I really love you.”

“I love you, too, Lance. My brave and mighty hunter. But there’s no need to leave. It is good to have a group and have others to talk to and depend upon.”

“I don’t really like living on the mountain in the wintertime. The path is slick and steep and the winds are cold.”

“It is a good shelter, our cave. We are protected here.”

“I could protect you down below, Jace, I swear I could. I would keep you safe and I can build a strong shelter. I could take care of you.”

Jace cupped Lance’s cheek. “I know you could. I know. If you think we should go, you must think out your words and take them to Chris and Joey. You are so strong, so brave. They will hear your words.”

Chris, Justin and Joey returned as the sunlight was fading. Chris had managed to capture a hare and smiled as he entered the camp. His smile quickly disappeared as he noticed that both fires had been reduced to embers. A wave of his hand signaled to Joey and Justin to be quiet and enter the camp cautiously. The pair remained outside, Joey close to the cave entrance as Chris entered the cave with a lit torch and called Jace’s name, then Lance’s. After searching through the entire cave, he returned outside.

“No sign of them, but no sign of any struggle. They weren’t attacked,” Chris surmised.

Joey countered, “They didn’t leave. We would have met them on the path.”

Chris carefully rebuilt the cooking fire after ordering Justin to skin the rabbits. If Jace wasn’t around, that was a duty that fell onto Justin’s shoulders.

As they put the pot of meat over the fire, Chris leaned over to Joey. “I think they’re behind the rocks. In Lance’s shelter.”

Joey rose to his feet. “Let’s check.”

“No. If they’re back there, either they’re mating or they’re sleeping. Those are the only two things they could possibly be doing that would keep them from coming out here when we got back. They know it’s meal time.”

“Maybe they’re playing. Hiding from us, as a joke.”

“Joey, we’re talking about Lance and Jace, not Justin.”

The boy tending the meal frowned as he glanced at Chris, wiping a tear from his eye.

“No offense meant Justin. I love you just the way you are.”

“It’s the smoke. The smoke’s burning my eyes.”

Chris sighed. The smoke was blowing away from Justin. “Come here.”

“No. I’m busy cooking dinner.”

Chris sauntered over to Justin, gently easing his arms around the boy’s waist. Justin continued chopping the early spring vegetables into the pot, stirring the pieces into a stew. Chris nuzzled the base of Justin’s neck, nipping at the stray hairs and pressing his tongue against Justin’s spine. He knew Justin couldn’t stay mad at him for long. The youth was still struggling through his growing pains. That’s when he heard the moaning from behind the rocks. The sounds mixed with the cracking of the fire and the sound of Justin chopping food and adding more to the stew. With a final nip at Justin’s ear, Chris made his way over to Joey.

“I can hear them. They’re definitely behind the rocks. I heard moaning.”

Joey smiled. He was growing fond of Lance, but found him a bit odd. While Justin was an unending ball of hormones, Lance was always cool and calm. Joey and Chris had wondered if Lance had been damaged as a small boy. They had heard of the boys who were cut so they would never have the urges of a man. Of course they had both noticed Lance’s recent unceasing interest in Jace of late. Not a word was spoken, but his eyes sought out Jace’s form as his tongue wetted his lips and his breath grew deep with want, so they had suspected.

Wisps of smoke curled then floated into the sky, disappearing into the darkness. Leaning back, Joey closed his eyes, falling into a fitful nap. After stirring the stew, Justin pulled out the spoon and tasted the mixture before deciding to add a few more herbs. Jace had taught him to taste with his eyes closed to distraction. His ears picked up whispered conversation coming from behind the rock, but he was unable to discern the meaning.

It wasn’t until Chris called them out to dinner that Lance and Jace emerged from behind the rocks. Lance walked out first, standing in front of Jace as if to guard him. The blond’s eyes were locked on Chris’. Putting out his arm, Lance halted Jace, preventing him from joining the others at the fire.

“You will hear my words,” Lance demanded.

Chris shot a glance at Joey then nodded his agreement to Lance. “Come. Sit. We will talk over our meal.”

Lance held his ground. “I mean to have my say. Now. I am a hunter, as you are. And as Joey is. Yet you deny me the right to satisfy a man’s urges. I desire to mate, as you do. I should have a turn with Jace and with Justin.”

Joey nodded when Chris looked his way. The request was fair. The words left Chris’ mouth slowly. “Sure, Lance. Perfectly fair.”

Jace breathed a sigh of relief and again attempted to move around Lance’s solid mass. Once again Lance put out an arm to stop him. “The cave is fine for summer dwelling. It is strong and cool. It is not good for winter dwelling. I mean to find another place to dwell in the winter.” Lance paused, watching as the others absorbed the information. “I intend to take Jace with me.”

“No way,” Chris shot back, leaping to his feet.

“I am prepared to challenge you for the right.”

Chris eyed the boy. He had grown brave and muscular. Chris had no real desire to fight him. He also had no desire to lose Jace. A challenge was a huge deal. The loser should leave the group, shamed. Chris did not wish to be on his own again and he was worried he may not best Lance in hand to hand combat. Not when Lance’s blood ran hot and swift with desire.

“I shall consider your words. For now, we will eat. Sit.”

They all noticed the mark on Jace’s neck. Lance had marked him as his. He intended to keep Jace one way or another. Justin was slightly jealous, wondering why no one had ever marked him.


	4. Chapter 4

The next time the hunters went out, Chris sent Lance ahead to scout for tracks, while he and Joey set up camp for the night. After clearing the brush away and setting a ring of stones, the pair had gathered firewood and lit a small, contained blaze. 

They were silent for almost an hour as they set about performing their tasks, then Joey spoke in soft tones. “If he challenges you. If he betters you, I will step in. I will not let him take your life.”

Raising his eyebrows, Chris noted, “I do not think he means to take my life.”

“I don’t understand why he would wish you out, either. He is an odd one at times.”

“His desires have poisoned his blood, maddened his mind. It would make no sense for him to send me away. He said himself he does not think the cave is a good residence in the wintertime. Why send me away if he was planning to leave himself?”

Remaining quiet, Joey considered Chris’ words.

“He is young,” Chris continued. “His desire boils within him. By common laws, he would only win my women and the right to kill me or send me away. Technically speaking, Jace is not a woman. There is no real reason to send me away and certainly no reason to kill me. I think it is just that he is young and feeling need and want. Something in his blood is telling him to challenge me, because he sees me as the leader. He watches the herd. He knows that is the way. When the young males mature, they challenge the leader. He has not thought this through.”

“Come what may, I will follow you and I will protect you. I fear he means to take Jace from us.”

“That is my thought. He likes to sleep in his shelter behind the rocks, rather than in the cave. It would not be difficult for him to steal away with Jace one night. He could force Jace away. Lance knows how to cover his tracks. We would not find them unless he wished to be found.”

“Jace would not be happy. He tells me, when we’re together, that he loves the group. He loves having Justin with him while we’re away. He would not wish to be taken from us. He fears Lance might try to take him from us.”

“Then we must listen to Lance’s words and consider them, but we will stay as a group.”

Moving with the silence of a panther, Lance had hidden himself in the darkness near the camp and had listened. Joey and Chris’ words tumbled through his mind. In his dreams, he and Jace left the camp on their own and spent every night in each other’s arms, but now he wondered if that would make Jace happy. If it would make him happy. There may be some truth in their words. In his heart, Lance really did not wish to break up the group, but he did wish to have Jace as his own. Lance thought for a moment, but moved away from his spot before it became so dark that Joey and Chris would worry about him. He worked his way a few yards from the camp, before he stood and approached the fire, dropping his footfalls with enough force to turn Chris and Joey’s heads. Lance had practiced stealth. No one heard him, unless he wanted them to hear him.

“There is a herd of antelope nearby. We shall catch them tomorrow.”

Joey smiled as he chewed the dried meat Jace had sent in their packs.

After they ate, Chris glanced into the sky, then turned to face Lance. “You will hear my words now. We are a bachelor tribe, all males, all in the group by choice.” His raised his hand to stop Lance’s interruption. “I know we hauled you up there and Justin, too, but we would not have prevented you from leaving, if that was truly what you wished to do. And if you left, we would welcome you back, if you chose to return. You may go when the winds blow cold, if that is your desire, but we will not allow you to take Jace with you.”

“What if he chooses to leave?”

“He will not. I have asked him. He wishes to stay with the group. You are still young, Lance, but we value your skills. You should stay in the group, but we will not stop you if you choose to leave. If you wish to move our base camp from the mountain this winter, we shall hear your words as a group of five and we shall vote. Undoubtedly you shall vote to leave and I shall vote to stay. The choice will be up to the others. I will respect the choice as long as it is made by the group, not by one.”

Lance thought about Chris’ words as he lay down to sleep. He still slept alone when they were out hunting, but the others did allow him to take his turn with Jace and Justin when they were at the cave. When they were there, he only slept alone every third night. That was better. He still slept in his own private shelter behind the rocks each night, whether he was alone or had a sleeping partner. On nicer nights, he slept with his head toward the entrance so he could stare out at the stars. Tonight he watched the stars and wondered if they watched him, like a hawk hunting across the Earth.

Across the fire, he could hear Chris and Joey together and wondered who was on top when they were together. Turning his head, he was not surprised to see it was Chris. Chris was their true leader even if he didn’t like to draw attention to that fact. It was Chris they all looked toward to make decisions for the group. If Lance truly wished the group to winter away from the cave, it was Chris he had to convince. If he could change Chris’ mind, the others would follow. Lance smiled. He could have his way as long as he could convince Chris. All he had to do was to make nice with Chris and things could always fall his way. He didn’t need to take Chris out of the picture at all. He just needed to change the picture.

The trio if hunters moved out early in the morning. They knew from studying the animals that it was easier to catch game early in daylight. The herds were alert to nocturnal predators all night and welcomed the daylight as a blanket of safety. That was when the hunters would strike.

The plan was for Joey and Chris to move ahead of the herd, while Lance would sneak up behind them. When they were all in position, Lance would set the herd moving and Joey and Chris would identify the young and the weak animals of the herd, after allowing the stronger animals to run past them, Joey and Chris would target their game. They were successful more often than not. If they were not, they would wait until later, when the herd had settled down, or another herd was located, then they would try again.

They usually spent more time finding and tracking a herd than actually making a kill. The worst thing that had ever happened was once after they had made a kill, they were attacked themselves by a large cat. Joey had sustained a bite and claw marks before Chris could get the cat off of him. They had left their kill and ran for their lives. They learned the lesson then, to be on the look out for other hunters, whether man or beast.

Joey and Chris favored using spears, which they hand crafted themselves, while Lance was more open to using other means. The younger hunter had shown Chris and Joey the art of trapping game with a snare, as well as digging a pit and covering it over, then running the herd toward it. Although that was almost always successful, giving them at least one and sometimes up to four antelopes or two large deer at a time, Joey and Chris felt the digging was too much work and rather undignified for a hunter. They preferred stalking their game and hurling spears.

Chris and Joey had hidden themselves and waited. They each remembered hunting in groups with their respective clans. It was easier with more. Having Lance with them made hunting easier. As a team they were far more successful, allowing Lance to be the one to sneak up on the herds. The animals never knew he was there until he chose to be seen and heard. Lance had a gift for stalking.

The sun rose and began to warm the day as Joey and Chris waited. Chris knew he had to keep Joey awake, as he was known to nap when he had the chance. Here in the glade, with the sun becoming fuller in the sky and the lilting song of the birds, it was easy to fall under sleep’s spell. When Chris saw Joey nodding off, he tossed a few small stones in his direction to wake him. They held still, watching to the northwest, the direction Lance and the herd should be coming from. 

Joey was occupying his time by playing with a lizard when they heard the first hoofbeats heading their way. The drumming beats were panicked and hurried, antelopes running for their lives. Chris and Joey each raised a spear, ready to make a kill, perhaps even two. They allowed the first several animals to run by them before raising from the ground. They knew seeing the hunters would confuse and scatter the herd, driving them apart. With a nod, Joey understood that Chris felt the herd was large enough to attempt two kills. Throwing their spears almost simultaneously, they each hit their mark. Chris’ target instantly fell dead to the ground, while Joey’s struggled, having lost the power of the hind leg where it was hit. Approaching cautiously, Joey shoved a second spear through the antelope’s heart. He smiled, it was a good kill.

From beyond the horizon, Chris heard more hoofbeats, stronger, heavier. In a moment he glanced over at Joey, standing over his kill, right in the path of whatever was headed their way.

“Bison?” Joey asked, looking back at Chris.

Chris shook his head, urging, “Get out of there, now. Move before you are trampled.”

Joey looked around briefly, as if he were lost, before running in Chris’ direction, abandoning his kill. “Sounds like bison. I haven’t had bison for quite a while.”

“Doesn’t sound like bison to me. And two antelopes are plenty.”

As they watched the horizon, they saw some of the antelopes still bounding away frightened, then turning back, confused. Then a new animal appeared on the horizon. Long faces, with flowing hair. They were heavier than any antelope or deer, but lighter than moose or bison. 

“Horses,” Chris announced. “I have seen drawings of them before. I have never seen one with my own eyes before. They are beautiful.”

Joey nodded. “I’ve never seen a picture, but I have heard of such things.”

They watched as the horses galloped by them, seeming to take no notice of the hunters. Then they saw him. Lance. Lance was on top of one of the horses. He was riding one of the smaller ones, with patches of white and beige on her hide. The horses didn’t seem to mind him much and he rode with ease, his hands buried into the horse’s mane.

Chris shook his head. “Completely deranged.”

They watched as the herd of horses disappeared, taking Lance with them. Then they stood for a couple minutes as if they were unsure of what they had just witnessed. 

“Let’s go see what is left of our kills,” Chris offered.

They found their kills salvageable and Joey hefted his onto his shoulders, while Chris gathered his own. The pair made their way back to their base camp and wondered if they would ever see Lance again.

Normally once the hunters made their kill, they would quickly begin their journey home, but this day they waited at base camp, hoping Lance would return. Working in silence, Chris and Joey gutted their kill and put the remains into nets, which allowed them to tether their game out of reach of most other predators. Joey gathered the waste and took it all a good distance from the camp before discarding it. Chris built the campfire up, to discourage too much interest in their kill. And they waited.

“What do you think Lance was doing on top of a wild beast?” Joey questioned. “He did not appear to be trying to kill it.”

Searching his mind, Chris was slow to respond. Looking back into his memory, he saw Lance atop the running horse. “Perhaps he intends to learn to ride the beasts on the hunt.”

Joey laughed heartily, then saw the seriousness in Chris’ eyes.

“In my clan, they had dogs trained to pull loads and protect us. We had cows for milking. Why shouldn’t we be able to train horses? I have heard tales that long ago men rode horses, but the horses had disappeared. From the pictures I have seen, those beasts we saw today were certainly horses. And Lance was riding one, as the men in the old tales once did. If it was done once, it can be done once more.”

“Fairy tales, Chris.”

“But Lance was riding one of them. We saw him.”

“And where is he now?”

Both men turned their eyes, to survey the horizon. Other than a couple scavenging foxes and a handful of geese, they saw no movement for hours. Joey lay down to sleep while Chris continued to watch and feed the fire. 

It was late afternoon when they heard approaching hoofbeats. Chris grabbed his spear and placed his other hand on the knife he carried in his belt loop. Joey remained cautious and alert.

Lance soon appeared, still on the back of the beige and white horse, but now his braided rope was looped about the horse’s head and nose. Lance sat tall, bearing a proud smile.

“I have named her Sky,” he announced. “Her coat bears the yellow of the sun, the white of the clouds and her eyes are as blue as a cloudless sky.”

“Lance, where have you been?”

“I could not control her at first. I had to learn her ways, why she moved as she does. Then I had to teach her to respond to me. Now we move as one. She will be a great advantage in a hunt. She can run long distances and keep up with the swiftest of game. I saw it all. I had a great vision.”

“Come here and tell us. We will stay another night in this place. It is too far to head home tonight.”

Lance nodded, then slipped from the horse’s back. Pulling another braided rope from his bag, he fastened around one of her front hooves, tied it to her other front hoof, leaving only a few inches, then wrapped it back to the first hoof to strengthen the bond.

“I was searching for the antelope, tracking them and climbed onto a small ridge for a better view and I saw these other beasts were with them. Perhaps they travel together. I watched how they moved. I watched for a long time and saw the younger ones run and play. They were so beautiful. Then I had a vision. I saw many men sitting upon these beasts as they hunted. I saw they could go farther and hunt faster with these beasts beneath them. So I went closer, as close as I dared. Then I found their path to the water and there was an overhang. I merely waited for a small one to walk close to me and I dropped onto its back.”

Lance leaned back and sighed deeply. “It tried to kick me off, but I clung to it. She headed back to the glade where the antelope waited. They began to run and she followed. The others from her herd followed, too. Eventually she ceased to kick and her running was no longer panicked. I pulled out my short spear and thought to aim it at an antelope, yet the beast I sat upon veered away when she saw the spear at her side. So I switched it to my other hand and she veered the other way. I found I could steer her by leaning an arm out within her sight. After I rode by you guys, I thought to use my rope to turn her nose to which way I wished to go. It took a few tries, but I was able to loop a rope around her nose and secure it, leaving pieces on either side that I could use to pull her nose one way or the other. When I pulled them both together, she slowed. The others followed. By the time I figured this all out, we were far from here. I turned around and she hesitated to come back this way, but I pulled a stick from a tree and hit her rump with it and she moved forward. I kept hitting her until she moved as I pleased. The others have followed, but kept their distance.”

“They are called horses,” Chris informed him. “I have seen pictures and have heard the tales. Men once did ride such beasts to hunt and to travel, but it was said that the horses all disappeared a long time ago. However, I am also told that there was a time the people had not seen the bison for many generations and only knew them from pictures and stories and the moose were gone for more than one generation. It must be that all the large animals are returning. Perhaps they follow the smaller ones as they migrate.”

Lance’s eyes were glassy as he stared into the darkening sky. “It was amazing to ride such a beast. And to have it respond. It was as if I had harnessed the moving waters of the river or the wind as it blows before it rains.”

“Is it easy to stay on?” Joey queried.

“It took some getting used to and was easier when she stopped attempting to kick me off. I held onto her flowing hair and stayed with her. I moved with her, became one with her. It was not difficult. I saw in my vision that people could use these beasts to hunt and would ride them and follow the hunted game through the seasons. Most clans do that now, but they fall behind, their movements slow. With these, these horses, they can carry man and also man’s belongings. I saw it. We must join our tribe to these horses, move with them, ride them. We must become one with them.”

Chris and Joey eyed each other warily, both considering Lance’s words. They knew they must speak more of this in the coming days.

Rising to his feet, Lance strode to the mare, rubbing his hands across her. “You two should come here and scent yourself with her, then the others will accept you and not be afraid. I will ride her and they will follow. I think we can keep them in that small canyon near the cave. The mountain waters flow there. It is not deep enough for us to fill our pouches, but I think it will quench their thirst.”

“The others?”

“The other horses of her herd. They are nearby. They followed at a distance. Once they become comfortable with us, we will all be able to ride. We shall hunt and return to camp all in one day. We can scout out game quickly riding on the horses and can ride right up to make the kill. Then instead of carrying the game back ourselves, we must create a way to secure our kill to the back of a horse. The horse will carry the game back as well as the hunter.”

Beneath the light of the full moon, they watched as Sky limped around, nibbling at field grass, but not making any bold attempts at escape. Even in the darkness of night they heard the other horses approach. Some of them walked over to Sky and sniffed at her, but they didn’t seem to be alarmed by her scent. When several of the horses were near, Lance walked out among them, rubbing against them, then allowing them to sniff him. He would have a different scent than the horse, but by rubbing against them, they would smell something familiar about him.

Chris sat back in awe of Lance. The young man he had always thought of as being quite peculiar had a gift with animals. Not so much a gift, perhaps. Lance had spent his time watching and learning. He had watched and learned the ways of the beasts. That was why he was able to track them so easily and sneak up upon them without alerting them to his presence and how he would bring the herd of horses back to the canyon below their cave. Lance certainly did have all the earmarks of a great leader.

By the time the sun rose the next morning, the horses had moved away, but were still within view. Lance rose to his feet and quietly walked across the dew drenched grass. When he reached Sky, he held her head and spoke softly to her, teaching her to listen to his voice and not fear him. From across the field, Chris watched as Lance moved slowly. The horses seemed to accept him within their midst. 

“He is amazing with animals, is he not?” queried Chris.

“Have you discovered a new admiration of Lance?”

“He has become a great asset to our group.”

“Do you fear him?”

“Lance? No. No, why would I?”

“He has just recently begun hunting and is nearly as good as either of us. He already tracks game far better than you or me. He can navigate as well as us. And this thing he has going on with these horses. And the fact that he wishes to take Jace away from us.”

“I do not believe Jace would ever choose to leave us and if Lance forced him away, I think Jace would pine about returning to us until it drove Lance nuts. I think that whole issue will fade. Especially now that we have included him. We should have offered sooner. I did not think of it.”

“He could have spoken up sooner.”

“He has not yet become accustomed to us. We think of Lance as being fearless when we watch him hunt, but he, as well as Jace and Justin, were forced to be subservient for most of their lives. It may not occur to any of them to voice their opinions unless we ask.”

“You are a wise man, my friend.”

“I suspect that may come from my mother. She is a wonderful and strong woman. I must get my strength and wisdom from her.”

“Do you miss her?”

“Certainly, but that is the way of the clans. They value young women, but not the young men. If I approached the clan again, they would view it as a threat and they would kill me.”

As Chris and Joey finished eating their morning meal, they watched as Lance worked with Sky then tied her to a tree while he investigated a small grove of trees. His rustling and hacking had them curious. Soon he emerged with several long pieces of wood. After a bit of experimenting, and the borrowing of all the rope he could find, Lance had built a wooden structure that he was able to attach to Sky. After crossing the two longest pieces at her withers, he dragged the ends behind the horse, then attached several more pieces across. With more rope and tethers, he bound the structure together and ran lashings from it around Sky’s chest to secure the structure to her.

When he returned to Chris and Joey, Lance proudly announced, “We shall place the netting with the antelope across the platform and Sky will carry the load home.”

“What if she gets away from you?”

Cocking his head, Lance mulled this over for a minute before replying, “She will not. She obeys me. And if she did get away, she cannot move fast with the platform attached to her. Do not worry. She will not get away from me. I had a vision and in the vision, we ride these horses and they carry our loads. I see the picture in my mind how we will one day be able to pack our things on their backs, but I cannot yet see it clearly enough to build it. This solution is easier and faster. I know you two normally carry the kill on poles between you, so that’s how I thought of the two long poles. But if the poles were long enough to fit between two horses, they would either be too weak to carry the kill or too heavy for the horses. There is also the problem that Sky is the only one that obeys me now. So I pulled the two poles behind her and saw she could drag them and the kill could be tied on high enough to not drag on the ground. These horses do not show interest in meat. They seem to prefer the grasses, so they will not bother our kill. She may carry all of our belongings and that will lighten our load. Our lives will be easier. I have seen it.”

Chris shrugged. “Let’s get her loaded up then. We should have already begun our journey home.”

Lance smiled as they began to secure their packs. When they had finished, Lance hopped upon Sky’s back and tapped her rump with a stick. Joey and Chris sighed as they walked behind.

As Lance urged Sky on, she would nicker for the other horses and soon they followed, at a distance. Some would stop to graze for a few minutes then would trot to catch up. They were never directly behind her, but they kept her in sight. Chris and Joey walked between Sky and the herd. They quickly became aware that they were traveling much faster than they normally would if they were carrying their kill between them.


	5. Chapter 5

Once they returned to their mountain, Lance unloaded the kill and their belongings from Sky and led her into the nearby canyon. Once there, he rode her around its perimeter twice then tethered her front two legs together again. As the other horses wandered in and sniffed at Sky, Lance set about pulling long branches over to block the entrance. The horses watched him, not truly understanding what he was doing. Some of them snorted or pawed at the ground, but they made no move toward him.

Near dusk, he climbed the mountain for dinner then informed the guys he would be sleeping down in the canyon with the horses.

“I want to go with him,” insisted Justin. “I want to see these horses. Please?”

When Chris nodded his approval, Justin smiled and hugged him, before following Lance down the path. Lance chased the two horses who had strayed away back into the canyon, then built a fire at the entrance. 

Justin watched the horses in awe. “They’re so beautiful.”

“He is neither your father nor your husband, you know.”

“Who?”

“Chris. You ask his permission like he owns you and he doesn’t.”

“He. He takes care of me.”

“Everyone takes care of you.”

“He. I don’t know. It just seems like I should. Chris said you were riding one of these animals. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“How did you learn to do that?”

Lance shrugged, watching the flames grow and flicker. “I just leapt on the back of one and taught her to allow it. If you would like to learn, I will teach you as soon as I block off the entrance.”

“You mean to trap them here?”

“Yes. They will be ours. We will each have our own and plenty more. We could train them and trade them to others if we chose to. Or we could keep them all or set some free. They seem to like being together. If you want to, you could help me block the entrance tomorrow then I could teach you to ride Sky. She’s the one I’ve already trained.”

“Will you train them all?”

“I think so. That one that runs around, you see him? The white one with the black hair and legs, that is the lead male. He will be mine. I have named him Mighty Wind. Riding these horses when they run is like riding the wind and he is the mightiest of them.”

When Lance laid out the furs, Justin climbed over him to lay at his side, snuggling close under the stars. “How is it that you know so much? You know about the stars, Chris told me and you know about animals. I know nothing about anything.”

Lance wrapped his arm around Justin and pulled him close. “I just learned things. When I was young, my parents told me that the more I knew, the better off I would be. So I listen when people talk. I watch how they work, to see what they do. Then I practice and see if I can do as well or even better than others. And I have visions. I had a vision of us riding these horses, so when I saw them on the glade, I knew it was the right time.”

“Weren’t you afraid?”

“No. When I have visions, I know those things are meant to be. I fashioned my ropes around Sky’s head like I saw in my vision, but in my vision, I was riding Mighty Wind. That is why I know that I must train him.”

“Are you going to take Jace away?”

“I love Jace. If it were possible, I would make him mine. I know he does not wish to leave Chris and Joey. And you. I would not force him away.”

Justin let his hands roam across Lance’s chest. “I think I’m in love with Chris. I get these weird feelings when I’m around him. Like my stomach feels all fluttery and I feel like no matter what goes wrong, Chris can make it right. I told Jace and he said it sounded like love to him.”

Lance kissed Justin’s forehead and laughed softly. “Giddy as a woman in love. All the girls in the clan are in love with the leader.”

Justin pulled back and slapped Lance’s chest. “That’s not why. It’s him. Not that he’s the leader.”

“If you say so.”

Lance easily flipped the pair so Justin was beneath him. Lance peered down into Justin’s blue, starlit eyes. His expression told of his youth and his innocence. Justin had grown up more innocent and protected than Lance had and he wondered if that was a good thing. Lance knew he could survive on his own now, but he doubted Justin had the skills to make it alone.

Lance’s hands moved quickly, untying Justin’s clothing before the boy even realized that he had moved. The youth below him smiled. Lance felt almost sad looking at Justin. The boy hadn’t found his place yet. Everyone still treated him as the child, almost as a pet. With a faint smile, Lance lifted his hand gently and ran it across Justin’s hair, petting him. Justin grinned back. 

“I want to teach you things,” he whispered in the cool night air. “You have so much to learn. And you should learn things, Justin. What if something ever happened to the rest of us and you were left on your own? You know what Jace told me he planned to do if Chris and Joey ever left and never returned?”

Justin shook his head, listening intently.

“He said he would try to find a clan and talk to the leaders and beg them to take him in. He would sell himself back into slavery, because he doesn’t wish to hunt and kill.”

Justin’s face scrunched with distaste. “I don’t either. That was. It was horrible.”

“But you should learn. If something happened to us, Justin, another clan is not likely going to take you in. They would be more likely to kill you. Jace knows that and he would still try. You should both learn to fend for yourself. You should learn how to hunt and how to protect yourself. I’m really surprised that they ever left Jace alone here. If any clansmen had seen that path and decided to walk up it, if they saw Jace, he would not have fought. He would have let them take him away or kill him there. When Chris and Joey first grabbed me, I could not fight, but I can fight now. I am stronger. Jace needs to be protected, because he refuses to protect himself.”

“And yet you love him. I may be in love with the leader of the clan, but you are in love with our fairest maiden.” Justin punctuated his opinion by poking his finger into Lance’s bare chest.

“I. That’s not why,” Lance sputtered. Anger boiled in his blood and ebbed across his face. For a moment, he thought of raising his hand and striking the boy then his senses returned to him and the anger quickly faded. “I love him because he is beautiful and sweet and so caring. He’s so sensitive and he feels so much.”

“Those are the same reasons my father would give for why he loves my mother. Did you mark him because you love him?”

Lance allowed his hand to slide across Justin’s chest, following through to the curve of his hip before sliding back up to his neck. “I did not intend to mark him. It just happened.”

“How? Show me.”

“Show you? Do you wish to be marked?”

“Yes,” Justin giggled. “I want to know what it’s like. But if I tell you it hurts, you have to stop.”

Moving across the boy, Lance leaned into Justin’s neck, placing his mouth against it. Justin giggled again and squirmed when Lance’s tongue slipped across his skin. Lance slowly let his hands drift over Justin’s arms, raising them above the youth’s head and stilling him. Closing his eyes, Justin relaxed and his breathing became steady as Lance slowly sucked wetly against his neck. When he decided he liked it, he drew his legs out wider and wrapped them around Lance’s legs, locking them together in the moonlight.

They were both hard by the time Lance released Justin’s wrists and moved on to licking Justin’s neck then taking his lips. Justin reached up with one hand, smoothing it over the damp part of his neck.

“It doesn’t feel any different,” he noted.

Lance’s voice was breathy as he responded, “It doesn’t feel different. I’ll tell you what it looks like in the morning.”

“Will you take me?”

“We have no oils. I do not wish to hurt you. We can do other things, like we normally do.”

“I can take you in my mouth first. Then it won’t hurt as much. I am getting used to it, now.”

Lance shivered slightly as Justin pushed the furs back, exposing him to the chilly night air. Running his hands down Lance’s chest, Justin could feel the wispy hairs that were beginning to form. A faint tinge of jealousy shot through him. His cheeks rubbed along Lance’s legs and he nipped playfully at Lance’s thighs. Justin’s breath was warm against Lance’s skin.

A log in the fire broke and released sparks into the night air, like a miniature fireworks display. Lance watched the embers glow red and thought maybe they should throw another log on the fire. Not now, though. After sex. If Justin would ever get on with it. Lance wondered how Chris was able to be patient with the boy. This slowness, this tender touching and kissing, this was all Jace’s doing. Grasping Justin’s hair tightly in his fist, Lance sought to direct him toward his promised duties. He fought the urge to flip the youth over and take him immediately. Instead he held on and began taking deep breaths. He would try to be patient as he silently urged Justin to hurry with his task.

Lance sighed when Justin finally took him into his mouth and began gently sucking. He resisted the urge to thrust into the delicious wetness of Justin’s mouth. Justin moved his tongue slowly against Lance’s shaft, as if savoring it. With his eyes tightly shut, he attempted to discern the differences between Lance, Chris, Jace and Joey. They each seemed to have their own taste, scent and texture. Similar, perhaps, but different enough that Justin was sure he could tell the difference with his tongue alone. 

Taking his time, he explored every ridge, every rippling vein with his tongue. Dropping Lance’s shaft, Justin moved back to kiss and lick at the scrotum, as Lance arched and gasped beneath him. Slowly working his way back over the shaft, Justin felt the dampness at the tip of Lance’s cock and ran his lips across it, coating them with the moisture. When he felt Lance’s hand pushing on his head, Justin enveloped Lance’s shaft once more, wetting it before pulling back.

Lance wasted no time flipping the pair deftly, positioning Justin below him once more. He kissed Justin once on the lips before leaning the boy’s legs against his shoulders as he pushed forward. Justin moaned as Lance penetrated him. Watching Justin’s face, Lance moved slowly at first, holding Justin’s legs and kissing the youth’s knees. “Do you enjoy it? Look at me,” he demanded.

Justin’s eyes flew open and met Lance’s. He thought of the others briefly. “Yes,” he gasped as Lance continued to thrust into him. “It hurts a little, but it feels so good. I love being connected. Like this. I can’t explain. It makes me feel content.”

Lance smiled then ran his hands up and down Justin’s legs before releasing them. Leaning forward until he was lying flush against Justin’s chest, Lance began to vary his thrusts. The boy was still thin, but he was beginning to fill out. He had grown so much in the last few months and was at least as tall as Lance now, maybe even slightly taller. Lance thrusted in harder, deeper. Justin was still so tight. Knowing he wouldn’t last much longer, Lance leaned down and settled his mouth against Justin’s neck and began sucking on it once again.

From below, Justin nuzzled Lance’s temple. He tried shifting his position around slightly in an attempt to maximize the pleasure and minimize the pain. He gasped and began whimpering when he felt Lance thrusting against something within him. His arms grasped Lance into a tight embrace. “Lance,” he moaned quietly.

Justin screamed when Lance’s sultry sucking on his neck was abandoned and he felt Lance’s teeth take hold of his skin near his shoulder. He screamed and struggled beneath Lance trying to get away. The man atop him held him firmly in place as his thrusts came harder and faster, until he felt something splash within him and he fell against Justin’s chest. 

After a few minutes of rest, Lance took Justin’s neglected cock into his hand and pumped it until the boy climaxed, ejaculating into his palm. Justin seemed stunned as Lance cuddled him close.

“Are you okay?” Lance whispered, squeezing Justin’s shoulder.

“Yeah. It just, when you bit me, it hurt.”

“You said you wished to be marked.”

“That hurt. I liked when you sucked at my neck, that felt good, but the biting hurt.”

“I like to hear you. You and Jace. So beautiful when I hear you. So beautiful,” Lance murmured as he drifted into sleep.

Justin looked up into the sky, watching the stars dance across the darkness. In his heart he knew Lance would protect him against all others, but he wondered if he was truly safe from Lance. Danger lurked in the young hunter’s eyes. He stalked animals and people alike. He had stalked Jace then took him. Justin shivered once then snuggled closer to Lance who snored lightly.

When Justin awoke, Lance was already dressed and tending to the fire. Justin pushed the furs back far enough to inspect his shoulder. It wasn’t too bad, but it still felt sore. He crinkled his nose at Lance then furrowed his eyebrows, thinking that one day he would be bigger than Lance and then he would kick his ass. Someday he would be bigger than all of them and then he’d kick everyone’s ass. When he stretched, he held his hands before him, working his fingers individually. His hands were the largest of them all. Jace said that meant that one day, Justin would grow taller than the others. 

“You should go up and get something to eat. If you want, later on you can help me build the enclosure then I will teach you to ride Sky.” Lance nodded to the mare hobbling around with her tethered forelegs. “That one. When I train Mighty Wind, you may have Sky if you like. Or maybe she would be a good horse for Jace. One day we will all ride. I have seen it. We won’t always live here in the cave. We will live on the plains and follow the game. We will never be hungry.”

Justin pondered that information. He didn’t like living on the mountain in the wintertime either. He couldn’t count the number of times he had slipped and tumbled on the path in the winter, often while carrying water or firewood. “Are you going up?”

“No. I will stay here. If you return to help me, you could bring me some food. I wish to finish this so the horses are secure. I need more lashings. If you could bring me down all the spare lashings and rope you can find, I would appreciate it.” Lance hadn’t stopped working as he spoke.

Justin yawned and dressed, finding himself somewhat disappointed that Lance didn’t watch him. Chris always watched him dress and often came back to his side to hug him and kiss him. With a sigh he began making his way up the path. When he reached the top, Jace was at the cooking fire, smiling at him.

“My shoulder hurts,” he complained, his arms folded across his chest. “Do you have something to make it feel better?”

“Come here.” Jace motioned to one of their sitting logs, near the fire. His fingers carefully peeled Justin’s clothing from the indicated shoulder. He couldn’t help but notice the red mark above it. “Did Lance do this last night?”

Hanging his head, Justin sighed. “Yes. I know, in my tribe a man marks a woman he wishes to have as his own. I know Lance marked you. I just wanted to know what it felt like.”

Moving forward, Jace pulled the youth into a hug and whispered in soft, soothing tones, “Are you okay?”

Justin cursed as a few stray tears began to slide down his cheeks. Lance hadn’t hurt him that badly and he had only been curious. The injury wasn’t as bad as some of the scrapes he had gotten just hiking up the mountain path. Rather, he was upset with himself for being such a baby when he was trying so hard to grow up. He was mad at himself for feeling comforted in Jace’s arms, when any of the others would have waved him off and told him to tend the wounds then leave them alone. “It doesn’t hurt that much,” he sniffled. “It’s just a little sore when my skins rub against it.”

After a couple minutes, Jace released Justin and went into the cave briefly before returning with some salves. “The first one will sting,” he warned, “but the second will soothe it.”

“He’s going to teach me to ride one of the horses, Jace. You should see them. They are so gorgeous.”

Working carefully, Jace smiled as he doctored the injury. “Perhaps I will go down to see these beasts myself. Are they friendly?”

“I didn’t get close to them last night. It was too dark. Today Lance is building a barrier to prevent them from leaving. He said once that is finished, he will teach me to ride. He means to train all the horses. We will each have our own. You could pick the one you wanted. Except for the lead male. That’s the one Lance said he saw in his visions. He calls him Mighty Wind. Were there people in your clan who had visions?”

“Yes. Some people were frightened by them. Some saw them as true leaders. True leaders who saw the future. Some just thought they were crazy and speaking nonsense.”

“Are you frightened of Lance?”

“No. He means us no harm. Do you fear him?”

“I don’t think so. He has changed so much. I remember when I first got here, he was afraid to sit at the fire and now he seems to fear nothing. He’s not that much older than me, yet he knows so much and I know nothing. I bet he could lead a clan right now and he’s just turned seventeen seasons. It’s not him. I’m just tired of being the baby. I’m tired of being a child. He could pass any hunter or warrior tests of any clan and I don’t think I could pass even one.”

Jace smiled and hugged Justin briefly. “You’re fine just the way you are, Justin. Everyone is different. There is nothing wrong with how you are. And if you wish to learn, let us know. Anyone would help you and teach you.”

“Lance said he wished to teach me.”

After the morning meal, Jace assisted Justin in gathering rope and lashings before the four men walked down the path and found Lance busily working on his barrier. Chris and Joey led the way and immediately began to check the strength of Lance’s structure. Placing their hands on it, they shook it violently until they were satisfied as to its strength and durability.

Chris nodded, impressed. “It is a fine piece of work. You are a fine craftsman of structures.”

Pausing his work, Lance wiped his brow. “I have helped build many structures for my clan. I have seen what holds up to man and beast as well as what holds up to wind and rain. This will hold the horses in their place.”

Jace held out his offering of food to Lance, who took it thankfully. “Thank you for the food. My stomach hungers. Come, I wish to show you the little one.”

“Little one?”

“It dropped from one of the females only a short time ago.”

They all followed Lance as he crossed the field. When they neared a bay mare, he motioned them to slow their pace and approach quietly. “I call her Mother and the babe, Little One. There are others that are young, but this one I saw as it was birthed. I thought Mother was sick until I saw the babe drop from her. Now I see there are others soon to drop. At least three more, maybe four.”

They stilled as they saw the small colt moving shakily on his long spindly legs. Jace, being drawn to baby things, stepped forward with his hand outstretched. He spoke not in words, but in soothing non-threatening tones. The mare watched him suspiciously and the colt chewed the air and scurried behind his mother. Jace turned back to his friends and grinned. “He is so cute!”

Lance moved to Jace’s side and placed his arm around his shoulders. Turning Jace slightly, Lance pointed to Sky. “That is the one I have trained. When the others are trained, I think Sky should be yours.”

“Oh, she’s beautiful,” Jace exclaimed.

“And that one is Mighty Wind. I shall ride him. The one there that stands in the brook and splashes the water, I call him Shallow Water. I think he is for Chris. They are both hyper and active and enjoy playing with the others. Shallow Water is still young, I think. He likes to run to the others and nip at them, trying to get them to play. This one here I call Windsong. She is also young. And that black one there, I call her Night Wind. I think she is the one Mighty Wind favors most. Those two over there are Lyric and Beauty.” Looking back at the other men, Lance noted, “You may help name them. And if you choose the ones you favor, I will train them first, then we can all ride together. Joey, Chris and I must have strong horses with good temperaments, so we may ride them on our hunts. I will train them to stay near even if they are loose and I will train them to come when I whistle.”

Chris smiled as he listened to Lance’s dreams, but in his mind, he knew Lance would make all the things he said come to happen. Lance had become a force to be reckoned with. He was one to see things and make those things happen. A true visionary. 

Justin and Jace spent time chasing after the colts and moving amidst the horses, petting them and learning their ways, while Joey, Chris and Lance worked on the barrier. When they stopped for a break, Jace gladly opened his pack to reveal the food he had brought with them.

“I know you all too well. I knew you would stay to help Lance and I knew you would grow hungry.”

Chris stepped over to ruffle his hair and kiss him softly on the lips. “You’re so smart, Jace. You care for us better than we deserve to be cared for.”

Jace grinned, dropping his face to hide his blush. 

After they ate, Justin felt guilty enough to help with the barrier. Jace only spent a few more minutes with the horse before he also came over to help. “They like pears,” he noted.

Lance glanced over to the horses as they grazed. “They like carrots as well. I had some with me on the hunt and Sky liked them very much.”

“I can see you mean to have us harvesting fruit and roots for these beasts rather than hunt for our own meals,” Chris scoffed.

Joey chuckled and threw and arm around Chris, lowering his voice to whisper into Chris’ ear, “Yes, but next winter when the hunger strikes us, we can come down here and nibble at the fat ones. I bet horsemeat is as good as any other.”

Chris thought about what Joey had said. He knew it was meant as a joke and said quietly so not to rile Lance, but Joey was right. If their food became scarce in the wintertime, they could eat one of the younger horses. One day that option could save Jace’s life. It could save all of them. As he set back to work, he wondered if Lance had seen that in his visions.

It took them the rest of the day and part of the next morning before Lance was satisfied with their barrier project. Lance walked back and forth testing it in several places. Finally he stood back, admiring it, and announced that it was good. True to his word, he next began to teach Justin how to ride on Sky. Chris, Joey and Jace sat nearby and laughed when Justin slipped off the horse’s back, tumbling to the ground. Even his best fierce expression failed to silence them. Indeed, whenever he scowled, it only drew more laughter from Joey and Chris, although Jace had the courtesy to try to silence his.

When he tumbled for the third time, Chris ran over, pushing Justin back to the ground and leapt onto the horse himself. Justin pouted, complaining that Lance had promised to teach him how to ride today. While the others were occupied, Joey sidled up behind Jace and took him in his arms. Jace smiled as he felt Joey’s whiskers against his neck.

The next day, Lance allowed Justin and Chris to take turns riding around on Sky, while he set out to work with the other horses. Jace watched as Lance walked slowly and deliberately up to Lyric then allowed her to sniff at the rope in his hands. During the next few minutes, Lance rubbed the rope against the horse’s coat then flicked the end at her. After a while he began to fashion the rope around her head and eventually swung onto her back.

Jace gasped, awaiting the horse’s reaction. She seemed slightly surprised, but not particularly annoyed or frightened. “Lance has become so very brave,” he noted to no one in particular.

Chris soon took interest in Lance’s new project and immediately wanted to be involved. Leaving Sky with Justin, he meandered across the field to watch Lance work with Lyric, even asking if he could ride her. Lance agreed, but only if he could hold her on a line from the ground. Chris leapt onto her back and spooked her, but Lance was able to prevent her from running away. She dumped Chris off her back twice, but he improved by the end of the day.

Over the next few weeks, Justin and Jace spent much of their days with Lance and the horses. Chris and Joey spent some time with them, but often left for hunting trips. They allowed Lance to stay behind and work with the horses, since they realized their hunting trips would become much easier once they could all ride.

Despite the extra time they spent with the horses, Justin and Jace were the two most likely to be tossed from the horses’ backs. Lance told them Joey and Chris were too fat and heavy to be knocked off easily. They all had a laugh and continued to practice. In the end, Lance did give Sky to Jace as she was the easiest to ride and never lifted her heels to dump anyone intentionally.

Shallow Water was quite the expert at dumping his riders. He wished to run and play too much and often kicked his heels into the air. Chris liked him, but fell from his back often. Lance decided they would have a difficult time hunting if Chris was constantly being tossed from his horse. Instead they chose Lyric and Beauty to take on hunts. Night Wind was strong and fast, but also a little difficult to handle. Lance believed that one day, after he spent more time training them, that Joey and Chris should ride Night Wind and Shallow Water on the hunt, but those times would have to wait until those two horses were easier to handle.

Windsong was given to Justin. Lance also trained Little Wings and Swift Foot as well. It occurred to him that the herd was mostly mares and those mares were apt to drop foals now and then. Having extra horses trained would be a good idea. When the others were working well and Justin was riding well enough to help work with the other horses, Lance finally began training Mighty Wind. The stallion had watched and not interfered as Lance worked with the other horses. Lance used a lot of coaxing and even resorted to bribery by giving the horse treats of apples, pears and carrots when he did as Lance asked. The reward system seemed to work with Mighty Wind. 

One day when Jace ventured over and asked permission to pet the stallion, Lance agreed and noted, “This one is special. He is over the others. They are used to being dominated, but he is not. The others, they can be owned as slaves, but Mighty Wind is different. You cannot own him. He and I work as partners, much like Chris and Joey work together, but do not own each other. We are a team by mutual agreement.”

The stallion’s eyes blazed with life as Jace stood beside him. His coat was white and smooth. 

“Will you hold him for me? I wish to braid his hair. If he is to go on hunts, he should be braided like a true hunter.”

Jace nodded and agreed, rubbing his hand gently over the horse’s dark velvety nose. Lance worked swiftly and determinedly, as he did with all the things he did. Jace watched as Lance braided the hair then used Jace’s clothing needles to bind the ends of the braids. Less than an hour later, Lance stood back to admire his work.

“It is good,” he announced.


	6. Chapter 6

By summertime, Little Wings and Swift Foot had become the horses that Chris and Joey preferred to ride on their hunting expeditions. More often than not, they led Beauty behind them, using her to carry their kill. Jace took care of most of the cooking and sewing duties alone as Lance and Justin were always working with the horses together. They took daily rides away from the canyon, getting the horses used to be handled and controlled away from the herd. If they hadn’t returned when Jace meandered down the path for water, he liked to play with the youngest colts. After Little One was born, they also had Little Spark, who was fiery and playful, and Little Whisper, who was quiet and sleepy more often than not.

Jace had noticed a lot of conversation being whispered between Lance and Justin, but hadn’t thought it of any importance, although they quieted if anyone else approached them. Today Jace played with the colts for an hour before he saw Little Whisper lay down to take a nap in a lovely sunny spot. The thought of sleeping in a warm spot appealed to him, so he lay down beside her and slept. Hours later, he was awoken by Lance kicking at his hip.

“Jace. Jace! I told you it was not a good thing for you to sleep in the field with the horses.”

“Is that not what you do on the hunts?”

“We tether their front feet so they can only move a short way to eat. It is too dangerous here. If they start running, they could trample you as you slept.”

Jace smiled and reached his arm out to Lance, who grabbed it and pulled him onto his feet. Jace looked at Justin. He was still growing and had developed muscles from carrying wood and water and working with Lance and the horses. Following Lance’s lead, Justin had allowed his hair to grow longer, telling Jace that short hair was for children. It had been almost a year since Lance and Justin had come to stay with them as boys and they were both quickly maturing into men.

Lance held Jace’s hand and led him to an outcropping of rocks near the edge of the canyon. Once there, he turned Jace around and sat him onto a boulder while he continued to stand, looking down on him. Justin sat on the rock next to Jace’s. Lance reached a hand forward to cup Jace’s cheek, smiling when Jace closed his eyes and leaned into the touch.

“You are far fairer than any maiden I have seen,” Lance began.

Opening his eyes, Jace looked into Lance’s face. He saw both seriousness and admiration. A strange feeling took hold of his stomach, but he remained quiet and prepared to listen to what Lance had to say. As he waited, Lance moved to sit beside him, wrapping one arm around Jace’s shoulder.

“Jace, Justin and I have decided to leave. Just for a while.”

The force of Lance’s words knocked the air from Jace’s lungs. He was having trouble catching his breath as Lance gave his shoulder what was meant to be a reassuring squeeze.

“We have seen traces of the clans as we ride. We want to contact them and perhaps trade with them. I think Mighty Wind will battle with the younger males, so I think we should train them and sell them and keep the mares. We also wish to scout other locations to live. We are nearly halfway through the warm season and neither Justin nor I wish to live in the cave another winter. We do not intend to.”

Jace managed to squeak out a few words, “I don’t want you to leave.” 

“We wish for you to come with us.”

Drawing back, Jace studied Lance’s face. He was amazed at the transition, the way the once frightened boy had developed into a fierce warrior, perfectly capable of winning others over. Chris was, perhaps, a better leader, but Lance was clearly more eloquent in his speaking and mannerisms. Of the five of them, he would be the best choice to approach the leaders of other tribes.

“I cannot go with you,” Jace said quietly, his words almost tumbling to the ground before being heard.

“We understand. I did not think you would leave them, but we wanted you to know that we wished for you to come with us. We intend to speak our piece to Chris and Joey when they return from their hunting trip. We wanted you to know first.”

“I do not wish for you to leave.”

“We will ask that we all go. I don’t think they will agree. Justin and I have discussed this for many days and think it is best.”

“What if you don’t return?”

“I give you my word, we will return.”

“What if you enter a clan and they kill you?”

“They may try, but they will not succeed. I have learned to fight. I have taught Justin. And we will have the horses. If there is any danger, we will be away so swiftly they will not have a chance to harm us and they will not be able to follow. We will stay safe. This I promise you.”

Stepping forward, Jace pulled Lance into an embrace, then motioned for Justin to join them. “I still don’t want you to leave.” 

Justin’s heart nearly broke as he watched Jace hang his head and walk away. “I didn’t think he would take it this hard.”

Lance’s voice was strong and stern as he replied, “It is his cross to bear. I meant what I said, Justin, we will return. I will miss Jace as much as you will, but I told you he would not leave them. They have a stronger bond with him than we do. We will go. When we return and he will be here waiting for us.” Lance finished storing the bridles they had used, then added, “He should be glad I am taking you. You have been neglecting your cooking and cleaning duties for weeks to help me with the horses. He has done his work and yours as well, without a single complaint.”

Justin’s eyes widened and his mouth fell into a frown. His eyes then turned to the path leading up the mountain. “I hadn’t even thought about it. If he needed my help, I would have helped if he had asked.”

“He shouldn’t have to ask. They were the duties that were assigned to you. If I were the leader, you would have done your chores or I would have thrashed you with a green stick.”

Justin’s mouth twisted into a curious grin. “Good thing you are not leader then.”

“When it is you and I, then I will be the leader.”

“Why? I think we should allow Chris to choose for us.”

Lance laughed as he glanced around the canyon one last time before heading up the mountain for their evening meal. “Fine with me. Chris shall choose. But Chris shall choose me. He is not such an idiot to put you in charge.”

Justin gathered his energy and bolted toward Lance, ramming into him and knocking him down. “I am not useless and stupid.”

Lance laughed, shoving Justin aside. “It is so good for you that I am not leader, yet. I would thrash you again for knocking me to the ground. You shall be subservient to me and you will not challenge me as such. He will not put you in charge because you have not the skills of a hunter, nor a warrior, nor a leader. You haven’t even been keeping up on your menial chores, but instead have dumped extra work onto Jace, who we all know is Chris’ favorite, even if no one else dares to admit it out loud. Face it Justin, if you were in charge, we would fail. You do not even know how to guide our trip. We would be lost before we got started. You may come with me, but only as my junior. I know what you are seeking Justin. It’s written all over your face when we speak of the clans and it is the goal of a child.”

Justin kicked at the path and pouted. Lance threw an arm around Justin’s shoulder and kissed his temple. “Don’t worry though. A few more weeks with me and I’ll mold you into a man yet.”

“I do important work with you. I help train the horses.”

“Yes, you do, but Chris still has not released you from assisting Jace. If he knew you weren’t even carrying the water up for him, I bet Chris would thrash you himself,” Lance teased.

They jostled each other as they climbed the path, shouldering each other off the trail and into trees and boulders. It was friendly and playful, but Lance often shoved Justin off his feet, so Justin began to run up the path ahead of him.

“You should offer to help Jace tomorrow. Perhaps you and I could carry water for him like we should.”

Justin sighed, but nodded. He found working with the horses a lot more fun than hauling water.

When he got to the top of the path, Justin stopped in his tracks. Lance jogged the few steps that separated them. The pair stood and stared for a couple minutes. The fire had burned low, down to embers. Jace was sitting on one of the logs holding out one of his hands and shaking. A paleness colored him and he seemed dazed, staring at the ground. Normally he rushed to greet anyone entering the camp, but he sat still, not acknowledging their presence.

Lance rushed over to him, kneeling before him. “Jace, are you okay?”

Jace didn’t speak, but brought his eyes up to meet Lance’s then turned them to his hand. Lance took Jace’s hand, holding it tenderly as he inspected it. He had cut it badly. Some of his blood had spilled, coloring the ground red beneath him. 

“Jace? Can you speak to me?”

Jace’s eyes looked into him, but he still didn’t speak. He seemed lost and confused.

“Justin, bring me a bowl of water and some bandages. He’s hurt.”

Justin scrambled into the cave, searching for the items then brought them to Lance. “That’s about the last of the water.”

“You’ll need to go down and get more. Tonight. Now.”

“Why me? Why not tomorrow? I’m tired.”

“Justin! Jace is hurt. We need the water. It’s your responsibility, not his. You haven’t brought up water in two weeks and it’s been longer than that since you’ve cooked. You will go down to get water right now and you will finish cooking a meal tonight. Jace is hurt, he can’t do it and right now, he needs help.”

Justin grumbled, but grabbed the water skins and headed down the trail.

Lance washed the wound as well as he could. “It will not stop bleeding,” he announced as he began wrapping it. Blood soon began seeping around the edges, but Lance worked diligently. “Come on Jace, you should lay down.” 

Lance carried him into the cave and settled him onto Chris’ furs. He would have put him into his own shelter, but knew Chris would insist on moving him back into the main cave. At the moment, Jace didn’t look like he could take too much moving around. Carefully lifting Jace’s injured hand, Lance gently placed it on his chest and covered it with his own hand. He had watched Jace care for the others and did the best he could for him, but Jace continued to grow more pale as time passed. The injured hand was especially white and felt chilled. Lance pulled his skins off and held Jace’s hand onto his own chest in an attempt to warm it. With the hand between them, Lance hugged Jace against his body, hoping Justin would make it back soon. 

Justin grumbled as he filled the pouches. At least he was alone, so no one else would yell at him. When they were all filled he sat at the edge and tossed small rocks into the water and watched the circles form around where the rocks splashed down then watched them wash away. After a few minutes past, he began tossing twigs into the current and watching them drift away. The sun was just beginning to drop in the sky, taking the warm temperature with it.

Back at the cave Jace shivered, but didn’t cry. He still hadn’t spoken and that concerned Lance to no end.

“You’re going to be fine, Jace. I promise.” Lance adjusted Jace’s head so they could kiss. Even his lips were cold. “Justin will be back any time now. I’m going to get up for just a couple minutes. I have to keep the fire going, but I’ll be right back.”

Lance eased himself away from Jace and carefully laid him down then covered him with another fur. When he reached their woodpile, he noticed it was seriously low. He now regretted taking Justin with him everyday. There was too much work needed to be done around the camp for Jace to do everything alone. Lance had planned to start the second fire at the cave’s entrance to help warm Jace up, but there wasn’t enough wood. Lance sighed again and stared at the path, watching for Justin. He stopped and listened, but didn’t hear anyone coming up the path. As he put the rest of the wood on the fire, he wished Justin would hurry back with the water. Someone would have to get more firewood tonight or their fire would go out before morning.

Justin sighed, lying down against the rock as he began thinking about the trip he had agreed to take with Lance. He wondered why Lance wanted him to go. Surely he’d prefer to take Jace, but of course Jace wouldn’t go. Lance himself admitted that he didn’t think Chris or Joey would want to go. Lance had chosen him because he’s the only one he thought would go. He wasn’t Lance’s first choice for a companion, he was the last choice. He sighed again when he heard horses on the trail. Rising to his feet, he yawned and stretched then scratched his belly. He frowned when he remembered he was going to have to prepare the meal when he got up the hill. His stomach growled with hunger now.

The horses were soon visible on the trail. It was Joey and Chris returning from their hunt. Justin stood aside and let them pass then followed them to the horses’ canyon. He was still catching up when he saw Chris and Joey releasing Little Wings and Swift Foot before turning to unload their kill from Beauty’s pack.

The released horses cantered away to join the other horses across the field. When they stopped the other horses came forward to sniff them. There were a couple of squeals heard. Beauty neighed, anxious to join the others.

Justin lengthened his stride to meet with them.

“Hey Justin, kind of late to be getting water?”

Justin shrugged at Chris’ question. “As long as you’re back, I thought I would walk up with you.”

“You too busy playing with the horses to get your chores done during the day?”

“I guess.” Justin’s eyes dropped guiltily to the ground, avoiding Chris’ glare.

“How much water is at the camp right now?”

Justin wished he could crawl beneath a rock, out of Chris’ reach. “There’s none.”

“None?” Chris shouted. “What do you mean none? We have the huge containers to get us through the winter. Did I not tell you to keep them no less than half full through the summer?”

“Yes.”

“Then why are they empty?”

“Because I haven’t been keeping up with them.” Justin felt his face redden.

“Tomorrow you will spend the whole day filling those tanks. Understand? You will not allow them to go empty again. I should make you fill them tonight.”

“I have to make the evening meal.”

“Why isn’t Jace doing it?”

“He’s hurt, so Lance told me to get water then cook the meal.”

“Hurt? How badly is he hurt?”

Justin shrugged.

Chris looked over to Joey, who was tying their kill to long branches they could use to carry it up the mountain. “You two bring the kill. I’ll take the water.”

Chris was gone before Justin could protest.

Chris took the water pouches and began running up the path. Although his legs were strong and muscular, he was only able to run about a third of the way. After that he slowed to a quick walk. The weight of the obligation to keep them all safe and alive fell heavily across his shoulders. He worried most about Justin and Jace, but of the two, Jace was the bond that held the group together. Without Jace to step in when arguments flew, it was likely they would have gone their separate ways many months ago.

Chris was huffing and out of breath as he reached the top of the path. The cooking fire was going, but no one was tending it. He wasted no time heading into the cave. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. It wasn’t until he heard Lance’s voice that he knew where they were.

“Chris? Where’s Justin?”

“I brought the water. He said Jace was hurt. Why don’t you have a torch lit?”

“I didn’t want to leave him. He won’t speak, Chris. I bandaged his wound, but it’s as if his life is spilling from him still. I don’t know what else to do.”

Chris didn’t like the panic he heard in Lance’s voice. As he made his way across the cave, he cursed when he tripped over something in the darkness. Probably something Justin had left lying around. When he located a torch, he quickly took it to the cooking fire to light then returned into the cave. He stopped for a moment when he could see them. Lance was cuddled against Jace, holding him tightly. Jace was pale, lying with his eyes closed, while Lance’s face showed fear.

“What happened to him?”

“I’m not sure. Justin and I were down with the horses and Jace came up to start the meal. When we got up here, the fire was low and he was just sitting out there holding his hand. He has a deep cut, down to the bone, I think. I washed it and wrapped it, but it still bleeds.”

Chris quickly dumped the water pouches into one of the large tanks in the back of the cave then filled a cup and brought it to Jace. Kneeling beside them, he lifted Jace’s head and tilted the water into his mouth. “Why didn’t you light the fire at the front of the cave?”

“I used the last of the firewood to build up the cooking fire.”

“What? We’re out of water and firewood both? What has Justin been doing while we were gone?”

“He has been helping me train the horses. I thought he was still helping Jace, but I guess he wasn’t. You know Jace would never complain. I didn’t know until he was hurt that we were out of everything. I should have kept an eye on things more closely.”

Chris licked his lips and shook his head. Jace tried to drink what he could, but Chris still had to wipe some of the excess away. “It’s not your fault, Lance. Justin is old enough to understand the importance of doing his chores. He had no right to dump everything onto Jace’s shoulders. It’s too much for Jace to do. Now Justin is going to have to pull his weight. He’s going to have to go down for firewood tonight. We have to have the second fire going for Jace.” 

“Justin was going to make the meal.”

Chris sat down and pulled Jace into his arms. Jace moaned a little as he was jostled, so Chris leaned down to kiss his head. When Jace whimpered in pain, Chris began to rock him slowly. “Between the three of you, you need to make a meal, gather wood and bring up more water. It’s all Justin’s responsibility, so as far as I’m concerned he can do it all alone. If you and Joey want to help him, that’s fine.” Chris’ voice changed from harsh to soothing as he turned his attention to Jace. “I need to look at your hand, babe.”

Lance watched as Chris began unwinding the bandage. Some of the blood was dried, but some of it was still red and oozing. Chris kissed Jace every time he whimpered in pain. Lance left the cave as Joey and Justin topped the pathway.

Lance watched as Joey hung the pair of deer he and Chris had killed. “We’re out of firewood and drinking water. Chris says we need to get some tonight, the three of us. And someone needs to cook the meal.”

Joey turned and glared at Justin. “And why is it that we’re out of wood and water? Is it not your job to keep them stocked up?”

Justin stared at his feet guiltily and threw his hands up. “I’m sorry, okay? I guess I got so caught up in helping Lance with the horses that I fell a bit behind with everything else.”

Joey rolled his eyes. “But how can we be out? Our vats and bins can hold enough to water and wood for at least two weeks. Haven’t you brought anything up in two weeks?”

“I don’t remember.”

“You cook the meal. Lance and I will bring up enough wood and water for the night, but tomorrow, you are going to do your chores and not stop until the water tanks and our wood bins are all full. Not partially full, you are going to fill them.”

Justin went to where Jace had begun preparing a meal earlier. He saw the bloody knife on the ground and picked it up. It dropped to the table as Justin mumbled a few words.

“What?” asked Joey, turning back from the trail head.

“I said, you can fill your own shit. Lance and I are leaving. Forever. Probably tomorrow.”

“Boy, you can run away from home when and only when your chores are done. One more word out of you and Lance and I will make the meal and you can go down and bring up wood and water by yourself.”

“I wouldn’t come back,” Justin mumbled under his breath as he sliced carrots.

“Joey! Joey! I need you in here! Hurry!” Chris’ panicked voice streamed out of the cave.

Justin sighed as he chopped carrots into their cooking pot. “He left,” he called back.

“Left? Where is he? Justin, get in here.”

Justin sighed once more then dropped his knife and strolled toward the cave’s entrance. “He and Lance went down to get more water and firewood. They told me to make the meal.”

“Go get him! Now, Justin! Hurry! Tell him, tell him I think Jace is dying. I need his help now. Hurry!”

Justin paused in the front of the cave, staring at Chris as he held Jace in his arms. Jace’s eyes were closed and his skin was such a pale white, it nearly glowed in the torchlight. His head was lolled back against Chris’ shoulder. Justin also noticed the pool of blood on the furs and how it was spread across both Jace and Chris. Even Justin knew, if someone lost too much blood, they would not survive.

“Justin! Go! Run as fast as you can!”

Justin tripped over his feet as he ran out of the cave, the seriousness of the situation finally sinking in. He stumbled again as he crossed the camp, cursing when he fell to his hands and knees. Tears prickled his eyes as the pebbles pressed into his skin, but he told himself it was for Jace. Back on his feet, he began running down the path as fast as he could.

Further down the trail, Lance and Joey walked at a leisurely pace. Their only concern was to return before dark. Neither had a torch to light their trail. They didn’t intend to be gone too long, though. They just needed a little more wood and water, just to get them through the night.

“So,” Joey ventured, “what did Justin mean that you two were leaving? What’s going on?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing. He’s just mad.”

“Try again. You forget, we hunt together. I know you.”

“We had talked of taking the horses, two horses, and seeking a better spot to winter. We talked of going to the clans to see if they would trade for the young trained male horses. Mighty Wind will chase them off if they challenge him, so I thought we should trade them away. We would come back though. When he said we were leaving forever, he was speaking in anger.”

“Part of him is still a little boy who prefers to play, rather than work. He does not understand the importance of his responsibilities. He does not understand that he will not be seen as a man until he pulls his weight.”

“He will learn. He is good with the horses. I should have offered to help him do his work, since he was helping me.”

“It was still his responsibility to see that his work got done. He should have made the chores his first priority then helped you only when he was finished. He should have asked for help. It is not a good thing that we have no supplies. It is always possible that we will become ill or injured or even that other clansman block the path and prevent us from coming down for a while. It is very important that we keep ourselves stocked. Chris will not let you leave until Justin gets his work done.”

Lance nodded as they walked. The pair stopped when they heard Justin’s footsteps approaching.

“It’s Justin,” Lance noted before the boy was in sight. “He runs swiftly.”

Justin was breathless as he fell against Joey. “Chris. Wants you back. Now. Says. Jace is dying. Needs your help.”

Joey had initially grabbed Justin by his shoulders to keep him on his feet, but as soon as he got his cryptic message out, Joey dropped him and began running back up the path toward the cave. 

Lance grabbed Justin’s arm, turning him until they faced each other. “What happened?”

“I don’t know. Don’t know.”

“Come on.” Lance tugged Justin down the trail.

“What about Jace? We should go help? Shouldn’t we?”

Again Lance stopped and turned Justin to face him. “What exactly did Chris say? Did he just want Joey or did he say everyone should go back?”

“He just said Joey, I guess.”

“Then we still need wood to keep the fire going through the night and we still need water. You will bring the wood and I will bring the water. We can’t afford to have you spilling half of it on your way up.”

“I wouldn’t.”

“You always spill half. That’s why it takes you so long to do anything. At least if you drop the wood, you need only pick it up again. Come on and don’t dawdle about it. You were so slow about bringing the water back this afternoon that I was afraid Jace was going to die for want of water.”

“I didn’t know his injury was this serious,” Justin replied softly.

“Well, now you know. Come on.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Hold on, babe,” Chris soothed. He had his arms wrapped around Jace, rocking him slowly. Other than sputtering as Chris gave him water earlier, Jace hadn’t been very responsive. Time dragged into miserable lengths as he waited for help. He couldn’t stop himself from kissing Jace’s lips and forehead. “I love you, babe. I can’t make it without you. You are my strength. You have always been my strength and my reason for doing everything I do. Everything I do, I do for you. Not for me or Joey, it’s all for you. Don’t you dare take away my reason for living.” 

Joey was winded as he ran into the cave, dropping to his knees beside Chris and Jace. “Justin said, you needed me.”

“The cut is deep and he is losing too much blood. I must sew it up to stop the bleeding. Did you send Lance on for water?”

“I left them on the trail and came back. I gave them no instructions.”

“Lance is smart. He will most likely realize that we still need water tonight. Bring me some of the wine. I will see if I can get him to drink it. Then you must find the finest needle he has and we will soak the needle and the wound with wine. You must also find the finest sewing sinew he has.”

“Will this save him?”

“I cannot promise. It will stop the bleeding if I do it right. I have seen it done before.”

“Are you certain you should try?”

“If I do not, he will surely die. I cannot make it worse than that, I don’t think. We must try, Joey. He will surely die if we don’t try. We must take the chance.”

Joey hurried to the back of the cave and brought wine to Chris. He placed some into a bowl and some into a cup which he handed to Chris. Taking another bowl, he filled it and set it aside to hold the needles and sinew.

“I will soak all the small needles I find, in case the first one breaks.”

“That is wise,” Chris agreed, struggling to pour wine into Jace’s mouth. “I will need more torches as well. I need as much light as you can get for me.”

Chris didn’t watch Joey, but heard him digging through Jace’s sewing supplies. He smiled a bitter smile, thinking Jace would certainly complain about him leaving the carefully organized supplies in disarray. Joey set five needles and a small supply of sinew into the bowl then took their last three torches outside to light them in the cooking fire. Once lit, he brought them back into the cave and set them where Chris told him. Together they moved Jace and staked him down by his wrists and ankles.

“I’ll need you to lie down across his body and hold him as still as you can,” Chris explained.

Jace groaned a little and twisted his head as Joey moved across him, settling his weight onto Jace’s body. Chris petted the side of Jace’s face with gentle, loving strokes then took his place near Jace’s arm. The hand was still leaking blood when he unwrapped the bandage once more. Jace screamed when Chris began pouring wine into the wound.

“I’m sorry, Jace, but I have to.”

Lance ran into the cave, setting the water pouches down near Chris. “What are you doing to him? I heard him scream.”

“Lance come here. I’m going to sew up the wound. It bleeds too much to heal on its own and I fear he will die if he loses any more blood. He may have lost too much already. I need you to lean on his arm here and hold his hand down here as best as you can. We’ve given him wine, but it’s obvious he can still feel the pain.”

When Justin arrived with the firewood, they ordered him to build up the fire at the front of the cave. Joey did his best to hold Jace still. Lance watched as Chris tried to thread the needle. When he seemed to be frustrated by the task, Lance took it from him and threaded it easily before handing it back to Chris.

“Thanks. Why don’t you thread one more now? Just in case this one breaks. Justin, bring me a bowl and fill it with water.”

Lance nodded and set about threading a second needle while Chris knotted the sinew on the first one. Justin came forward sniffing the air. It smelled of dried blood. He crinkled his nose, but did as he had been told, setting the bowl near Chris and filling it with water.

As Chris pushed the needle into Jace’s skin for the first time, Jace screamed louder than any of them would have thought possible. Chris trembled, near tears at causing Jace further pain.

“Justin, bring a stick and place it between Jace’s teeth then place your hands on either side of his head to hold him steady.”

Chris waited until Justin had completed his tasks before puncturing Jace’s skin once more. Jace still screamed, but this time it was muted by the stick. He heard Joey speaking to Jace, attempting to calm him. Chris worked as quickly as he dared. He didn’t wish to cause Jace any more pain than necessary, but he also knew any mistake he made could cause permanent damage.

Before he was done, he had placed eighteen stitches through Jace’s hand. The bleeding had stopped, but Jace had passed out from the pain before Chris had finished the procedure. After rinsing the wound off with water, then more wine, Chris carefully wrapped the hand again as Joey released the stakes. They settled him onto Chris’ furs once again. When Justin’s meal was ready, Joey had to pull Chris outside so they could eat. Chris’ eyes remained on the cave’s entrance and his ears remained alert.

“He will be fine,” Joey assured him, patting Chris’ shoulder.


	8. Chapter 8

Justin sulked as he was burdened with Jace’s chores as well as his own. Lance still worked with the horses, but now he took Joey with him on his daily rides, while Justin was left to work. When he complained, Lance reminded him that Jace had been doing everything for a few weeks now and he hadn’t complained at all.

Chris did nothing other than watch over Jace and care for him. For two days Chris fretted, unable to awaken Jace. Still he did his best to keep Jace cleaned and he even poured water and broth down Jace’s throat as he hoped it was enough.

Every time Joey walked into the cave to check on them, he assured Chris, “He will awaken.”

Chris hoped it was the truth.

Justin spent his days outside the cave unless Chris called to him to order him to do something. The fun, playful side of Chris had vanished and all that remained was the demanding, intolerant leader. 

On the second night since Chris and Joey had returned, Justin pulled Lance back into his shelter behind the rock. He no longer wished to sleep in the cave with Chris.

“We should leave,” he urged.

Lance looked surprised. “We can’t leave now. Jace is injured. He could die.”

“Joey said he would be fine.”

“Joey is trying to be strong and brave. If he told Chris that Jace may not make it, Chris would be a wreck. They love him, Justin, as a man should love his wife. They love him and they have promised to care for him throughout his life. The three of them are bonded. If Jace dies, the bond could break. Joey fears that Chris may perform the First Mate Death Ritual.”

“I have heard of such a thing, but it is not performed in my clan.”

“It is said that a man’s first mate is his true love. Any others he takes are only to care for the man and to ensure more children for the man and care for them as well. Since the first mate is his true love, a man may choose to take his own life when his first mate dies. In some clans a man only does this if the first mate is his only mate and he has no others to support. Chris apparently comes from a clan where they practice this ritual.”

“How do they do it?”

“He would spend one day mourning Jace’s death. There are death chants and death songs. Then he would cut Jace and himself to join their blood. Finally he would take a ceremonial knife and push it into his own heart. He would choose a second and if he does not die within the first hour, the second would run him through with a long spear. Some die quickly, but I have heard that some linger for days. They lay beside the dead mate until death claims them. It is said, first mates who share true love should die in the arms of their love. This is why Chris will not leave Jace’s side.”

“We spoke of leaving. We should leave. Jace will die or not die all the same whether we are here or not.”

“I will not leave until he awakens or dies. We have a duty to them, to care for them as they have cared for us. They took us both in when we were lost and hungry. Jace was kind to me. He is the first to show me kindness since my parents and my sister. I love Jace as if he were my own family. I will not leave until I know his fate.”

“You are so in love with him and he will never be yours because of Chris and Joey. You will have to wait until they die or kill them yourself before you can claim Jace as your own.”

“I have claimed him. It is only that I must share him with others who have also claimed him.”

“Would you ever love me as you love him?”

Lance smiled and snuggled Justin closer to him. “Have you forgotten I have marked you as well? We are all bound together, all five. You did understand that I always intended to return, didn’t you?”

A sigh escaped Justin’s lungs as his fingers traced patterns on Lance’s chest. “I guess. I just thought maybe we could be on our own. Just you and me.”

“It would not be safe. We do not possess the skills and knowledge of Chris and Joey, nor the strength. If we were attacked, we could not escape or fight adequately. We would not survive. We will leave and take our journey, Justin, but we must wait until Jace is well. And we will return. I told you, I know what it is you seek and I promise to help you find it. But our time to leave is not now. It is our duty to help here.”

“Chris has changed. He hates me now.”

“He does not hate you. He fears for Jace, that is all.”

“He blames me.”

“It is not our fault. It was an accident.”

“Lance, it is our fault. He was upset when we told him we intended to leave. He does not wish us to go. He cut himself because his thoughts were on us leaving rather than on the knife in his hands.”

Lance licked his lips and looked into the stars, but remained silent. Justin’s word weighed heavily in his mind.

Back in the cave, Joey worried about Chris. He barely slept anymore. In fact, he hardly spoke anymore. Not unless he needed something for Jace or someone spoke to him first. Joey watched as the firelight flickered from a single torch and the fire near the cave’s entrance. Chris’ eyes rarely left Jace’s face. Mostly he sat with a bowl of water nearby and used pieces of cloth they had traded for to wash Jace with. They had stripped Jace after Chris sewed up his hand and Chris was determined to keep him clean. When Jace burned with fever, Chris wiped his brow, tried to give him water and kept clean furs beneath him. Joey often spotted Chris tenderly kissing Jace and heard him speak or sing to him in soft tones.

Joey still worried about Chris, though. He never seemed to sleep, even when he lay down beside Jace, cuddling him close and telling him stories. He never took notice of his own hunger pains. He tried to pour liquids into Jace’s mouth, but never ate himself unless Joey insisted and agreed to sit with Jace for the few minutes Chris was away from his side.

“We will need to hunt soon. Even if Jace awakens, he may not be well for days.”

“I will not leave him until he can care for himself.”

“I cannot hunt alone. I could kill and carry nothing more than rabbits or quail. It would barely make a meal.”

“Take Lance and the horses.”

“Lance and Justin wish to leave. They would be gone already, but Jace became injured and I told them they could not go. Not until Jace is well, but I fear they may leave. They no longer sleep in the cave. They could slip out easily at night without our even knowing about it.”

Chris sighed heavily. “Take Lance hunting. Make sure that Justin has our wood bins and water tanks full. If they choose to leave, we cannot stop them. Justin may be young and impulsive, he may travel as the wind blows, here one day, there the next, with no set destination in mind. Lance would not leave without a plan. If he intends to leave, he means to go somewhere to do something.”

“He tells me they wish to scout for suitable winter quarters and to seek out clans who would wish to trade for horses. He says Mighty Wind will battle with the young males and run them off or kill them. Lance said it would be best if he trained them and traded with clans for whatever we need. He wishes to barter for cloth and more pottery and knives.”

“Then he means to return?”

“He says they will. Justin said they would leave forever.”

“Again, Justin is young and impulsive. These days he feels he is treated badly and unfairly burdened. He does not see that Jace did all this work and more without a complaint. Justin must still learn his place in life and how things are. Lance understands things. If he says he will not leave until Jace is well, it is because he understands that we need him and Justin with us. He understands we cannot care for Jace and the horses and take care of the hunting and the camp duties without him and Justin. And if Lance says he will return, I believe he will return. I would believe it anyway. Unless he takes the entire herd of horses, he will return. He has grown attached to them and he understands his duty to us. He understands he is alive today because we brought him here and kept him fed.”

“Perhaps we should take Jace to a Healer?”

Chris paused for a moment, dropping his damp cloth back into the bowl. “I think he would not survive a trip in his condition. If we cannot wake him soon, I fear he will die from lack of food and water. Whatever fate comes to him, it will come to him here. When we need food, you will take Lance to hunt with you. If you see a clan, you may consult their Healer. It may be they can give you roots that will help revive him.”

“Did you try giving him any roots?”

Chris shook his head, his eyes still locked onto Jace’s pale face. 

“Remember that one mixture? The one he told us to take if we were ever injured? He said it is to block the pain and to make your blood thicken. I think we should give him some, perhaps it will help.”

“If you can find the one, we can try to put it in his mouth. He cannot eat it though, he may choke.”

“He said to put it in your mouth and suck on it. Perhaps it will be enough.”

“Find it in the morning and we shall try. I fear of we give it to him now, he may choke on it while we sleep.”

“So you do sleep?”

“I do.”

“May I sleep on the other side of him? I could help keep him warm,” Joey offered.

Chris finally turned his tired eyes to Joey. “Sleep on his side with the good hand. I do not wish to have you roll upon his injured one.”

“You wound me Chris.”

“If you injure him further, I will wound you with more than words.”


	9. Chapter 9

When Joey awoke the next day, he was alone in the cave. Although it occurred to him that Jace may have died and Chris had removed his body, it seemed more likely that Jace had awakened. Still, it was odd that he would have moved him since Jace would certainly be quite weak. Rather than fight his internal debate, Joey chose to rise up and see for himself. 

Once outside, he saw Chris immediately, bent over and tending the fire by tossing smaller twigs upon it. Above the flame was a cooking pot. It wasn’t like Chris to cook when they were at the cave, but Joey was certain he would if Jace woke up hungry. He watched Chris stir the pot, then glanced around the fire at the seats. 

Jace wasn’t on one of their sitting logs, but propped up against it. His eyes remained shut and he was bundled up in furs. 

“Has he awakened?” Joey queried.

Chris looked up. His eyes were tired. “Yes, he has awakened. He wished to be outside in the sunshine, but he is still quite weak.”

Joey walked over to Jace, then knelt to the ground before him. “Do you live?” he asked, gently shaking Jace’s arm.

Jace swallowed weakly, then his eyes fluttered open. His voice was quiet and strained. “Yes, I have survived Chris’ effort to butcher me.”

Joey chuckled softly and sat beside Jace, wrapping a strong arm around him and tugging him close until Jace’s head rested against his shoulder. Jace seemed to drift back into an unconscious state almost immediately. “Are you sure he is well?”

“He is healing. It will take time. His body needs time to repair itself,” Chris insisted.

A few minutes later he ladled a brownish-green liquid into a bowl and allowed it to cool.

“That looks horrible and smells even worse. Do you mean to starve me until Jace is well?”

“It’s not for you,” insisted Chris. “When he woke I asked him what healing roots to give him. He told me which to use and said to make it as a tea. Now it is done, he can drink it hot, warm or cool. He says it makes no difference.”

Once the liquid cooled, Chris brought the bowl over to Jace, sitting on the other side while Joey still held him. “Jace, it is done I think. The color seems as you described.”

Jace’s eyes blinked open once more. Joey helped him get settled in a more upright position then Chris tilted the bowl to Jace’s lips. Using his thumb, he wiped away the drops that spilled.  
“How many days, Jace? How long until you are healed?”

“I do not know. I feel so weak.”

Once again his head sagged onto Joey’s shoulder. Chris touched him gently. “Do you wish to go back into the cave?”

“No, I wish to stay outside in the sunshine.”

Chris watched as Jace slept against Joey, his breath so light it was almost undetectable. Joey’s eyes soon drifted shut as well. Chris watched the pair as Joey’s head dropped until it leaned against Jace’s. It wasn’t long before Lance emerged from behind the rock. He smiled when he saw Jace out of the cave.

“How is he?”

“He has awakened. I made him some healing tea, but his body is tired and needs rest.”

“How is the injured hand?”

“He did not wish to see it so I have not unwrapped the bandage today.”

“It must be cleaned to avoid infection.”

“This I know, Lance.”

“I was just saying.”

“I know. Trust me, I know, but he needs to rest. Where is Justin?”

“He still sleeps. Should I awaken him?”

“Unless you want to cook breakfast.”

Lance disappeared for a few minutes before he returned, followed by a sleepy looking Justin. As he walked, Justin was rubbing his eyes. He glared briefly at Chris before moving on to the morning meal. “This is the end of the meat,” he said as he placed another cooking pot on the fire.

Chris reached out to shake Joey’s leg. “You and Lance must go on a hunt today.”

During the morning meal, Chris tried to convince Jace to eat, but he would take only the broth. After they were finished eating, Lance brought out a bowl of water and warmed it briefly. He waited patiently as Chris carefully unwrapped the wound. 

“It no longer bleeds,” Chris announced, pleased with himself.

“I do not like the redness. If it becomes infected, it would be bad.” Lance held the injured hand in his own and began gently bending the fingers slightly. “Do you feel pain?”

Jace’s breathing became more labored, but he replied, “It does not hurt much. There is not much feeling at all.”

Lance placed Jace’s hand back in his lap and patted it. “I will make a mixture to fight any infection. I am glad to see your eyes open, Jace. I am sure you will heal quickly.”

Lance searched through Jace’s collection of roots and leaves, selecting three varieties which he placed into a bowl. Using one of Jace’s special rounded stones, Lance ground the items for several minutes, then added enough water to make a thin paste. With his fingertips he tenderly dabbed the solution across Jace’s healing wound. Jace winced, but did not cry out.

“I do not know if this will help,” Lance admitted. “I try to remember the things my mother did when I was a child and this seems correct, but if it is not, it will do no harm to him. It is best that you apply the mixture two or three times a day right across the cut itself. It should protect him from infection. I will make you more dry mix before I go. You add little water and use it sparingly. You should cover the wound, but not slather it on so that it drips off. I think it should be wrapped at night, but allowed unwrapped during the day so it may dry in the air and sunlight. When it heals more, and Jace becomes more active, it should be covered during the day and left unwrapped at night.”

“Joey has told me that you and Justin plan to leave.”

Lance looked startled as his eyes met Chris’. “It is not what you may think. I was going to bring it up during a meal, so we could all discuss it. I truly wished that we all go on the trip, but Jace would not be up to it now. We spoke of finding another place to winter, I merely wished to scout out locations and also perhaps seek to trade the horses with other clans.”

“But only the young males?”

“The young males at first. Mighty Wind will chase them off, I fear. It seems wise to train them and trade them away. I would imagine the other tribes will wish to have females as well.”

“Having the males is not as good as having both. They would have to trade with us for more.”

“I thought to tell them we need all the females at this time, but perhaps we could trade some females in another season or two.”

“Aye, and only the young ones then perhaps they cannot breed for another year or two.”

Lance smiled and nodded.

“I do not fear that you have a way with these beasts that most men do not possess and cannot learn. Even if we trade some females to other clans, it will be known that the ones handled by you are the best. Of this I have no doubt.”

“I think we must go south, where the climate may be more mild. I like the idea of having one home base throughout the year.”

“It establishes a clan,” Chris agreed. “As long as we can stay close enough to the game to feed ourselves.”

“With the horses, we can hunt further away and still return quickly. If we build pens for our livestock, it would be easier if we remained in the same place. If we build pens and move on, it is likely they will be claimed by others before we return.”

“I think the canyon is quite a suitable place for the horses.”

“I fear there will be no food for them when it snows. How are we to feed them when the grasses are dead and buried? They do not eat meat. We cannot harvest and store enough carrots and fruit to feed them all. It is more of a necessity to seek another place now that we have the horses.”

“You and Justin may leave once the stores are filled. You and Joey must take another hunting trip and probably more than one more. Justin will have to prepare dried meat for us as well as for your trip. He must work hard to make things ready, but once all is done, Jace should be well enough to manage. Then you and Justin may go and do what you must do. Joey must hunt alone while you are gone for I will not leave Jace alone. We must be fully stocked.”

“Why not take him with you? Sky is gentle. Jace need only sit on her back and she will keep up with your horses. He will be safe with her.”

Chris cuddled Jace’s sleeping form closer to him, kissing his hair. “If he is well enough. Then we must hope no one seeks out the cave and claims it as their own or finds the horses in the canyon.”

“If you hunt with the horses, you need not be gone more than one or two days. The horses will be fine and you said yourself this cave will not hold more than a few people. It would be of no use to a regular clan. You must leave the sign of ownership. Most people will respect that and will not enter a camp so claimed.”

“How long will you and Justin be away?”

“I do not know, but we will return long before the winds blow cold.”

“It is mid-summer now. Time slips away. If we decide to move, we must allow time to pack, travel and set up a new site.”

“This I know.”


	10. Chapter 10

Chris waited until Lance and Joey had returned from their hunting trip before removing the stitches in Jace’s hand. Jace had turned his head, unable to watch. Joey held him as still as he was able and Justin did his best to keep Jace distracted. Lance nodded his approval of Jace’s healing progress. 

A few days later, Jace watched Joey and Lance depart once more, headed out on another hunting expedition. Chris had become almost like a second skin to Jace, one that he could never elude. “You should go with them,” he suggested.

“I will not leave you until you are completely healed. Justin does not have the maturity to care for you. I don’t believe it is yet safe for me to leave you.”

Jace wiped away the single tear which fell from his eye. “I will never be completely healed, Chris. Lance explained to me about the muscles and the tendons in my hand. I have seen how such things work beneath the skin of the animals I butcher. Lance has explained that I severed some of the things that make my hand work. It will never work right again.” Jace paused for a moment as he attempted to hold back the tears building up within him. “If I was an old man or woman and could no longer do my work, I would be ostracized and sent into exile to die alone. I can’t use my hand anymore, Chris. I am useless to you.”

Chris tried to gather Jace into his arms, but Jace pushed away. “Jace, I love you. We all love you. We will care for you. Always.”

Jace struggled to his feet and headed to the path. Chris followed close behind him. 

“Don’t follow me,” Jace choked out. “Please don’t follow me. You haven’t given me a moment to myself since, since this happened. I just want to be left alone. I need to be alone.”

Chris stopped and watched as Jace continued on. Jace ran down the path, spraying rocks about as he stumbled, his sight blurred by tears. He was panting heavily as he reached the bottom. He stopped at the fork in the trail and looked down each path. One led to the canyon and the horses and the other led to the water hole and beyond. It didn’t take him long to make his decision.

An hour later, when Justin stopped by the canyon after collecting more firewood, he nearly tripped over Chris as he squatted near the path, behind a shrub.

“What are you doing?”

“Shush!” Chris hushed the boy.

Justin squatted down beside Chris and dropped his voice to a whisper. “What are you doing?”

“Watching Jace,” Chris whispered back.

“Why are you hiding from him?”

“He said I never give him a moment’s peace, but I worry about him. You should go talk to him. He is upset that his hand no longer functions as it should. He fears he is of no use to us and that we will leave him to die. You should talk to him, Justin. I told him we love him and would always care for him, but I think he needs to hear it from more than just me.”

Justin nodded then stood up. After giving Chris one last questioning glance, he headed across the field to where Jace was lying on his back. When Justin reached him, he dropped to the ground, lying beside him.

“Are you okay, Jace?”

“My hand will never be right again. It’s almost useless.”

“I’m sorry, Jace.”

“It’s not your fault. It is mine for not paying attention to the knife in my hand.”

“I know it was because you were upset at the thought of me and Lance leaving. So it is our fault.”

“Mine was the hand that held the knife. The fault is mine and mine alone.”

“Does it work at all?” Justin asked as he rolled onto his side and reached for Jace’s wounded hand, taking it in his own.

“The thumb and first finger work fine. The middle finger has some feeling and some limited use, but the last two fingers, they don’t feel like they should and I have no control over them at all. They have no use left in them. If I were in a clan, I would be abandoned or stoned.”

“Jace, you are in a clan and in our clan we are sworn to care for each other. Even if you are unable to do any work ever again, we would still care for you. You are still important to us. And I am sorry for sticking you with all my work while I rode the horses with Lance. I tried to tell myself that I worked just as hard as you, but I knew my work was more fun. I should have done my chores and not stuck you with everything.”

“I didn’t mind, really. I like doing things for others,” Jace paused as he pulled his hand back from Justin. “I enjoy watching the colts. They are like small children who frolic with no worries on them. I don’t remember being allowed to play or a time when I had no responsibilities, but I have seen such children. Were you allowed to play?”

“Yes. I had many siblings and many other children in the clan to play with. We had chores, but they were few.”

“Were you happy there?”

“Yes. Until they sent me away.”


	11. Chapter 11

A few days after Lance and Joey returned from their latest hunting trip, Justin and Lance prepared for their journey. Windsong had taken a fall and had become lame, so Justin chose to ride Lyric in her place. Lance worked with Mighty Wind every day and intended to ride him. They were also taking Beauty along as a pack horse. While Lance gathered water pouches, weapons and hunting gear, Justin divided dried meats and fruits into smaller portions and rolled up furs to sleep on and extra clothing as well. They packed extra furs they hoped to trade.

Joey and Chris helped carry gear down the mountain the day of the journey. Jace came down as well, but his hands were empty. No one would allow him to carry anything yet. They watched as Lance tacked up the horses and lashed their belongings onto Beauty’s pack. Once he was satisfied, he motioned to Justin, then swung aboard Mighty Wind.

Jace could not stop the tears of sadness and buried his head against Joey’s chest. “What if they don’t come back?” he sobbed.

Joey held him tightly as he waved goodbye to Lance and Justin. “They will return.”

When the other two were out of sight, Chris walked over to embrace Jace and Joey. “We will survive. We have before.”

“I was not a useless cripple before,” Jace said, wiping his tears.

“Jace, you are not useless. Your hand may not be as good as it once was, but it still has some movement in it. If you are patient and determined, I have faith that you can learn to do all that you did before. Perhaps you will need more help with heavy things, but you are far from useless. Now that Justin is gone, the cooking duties are again yours.”

“I cannot. I am not well.”

“You will or we will all be thin by the time Lance and Justin return to us.”

With that said, Chris turned and began to head up the path to the cave. Joey gave Jace a comforting hug, then tugged him to the path, walking up the mountain side by side.

“I miss them already,” Jace sniffled.

As they rode away, Lance kept his eyes forward on their path, while Justin turned back to the others and waved as he moved further away from them.

Lance rode ahead, leaving Justin behind him on the path. Beauty’s lead rope was tied to Lyric. Lance insisted Justin take charge of the pack horse, since there would be less trouble between the two mares. Being close to the mares occasionally proved rather distracting for Mighty Wind. Lance would point out a path to Justin and have him stay on that trail at a walk with the two mares, while Lance would canter ahead on the stallion and choose their next course. Once he had chosen their path, he would return to show Justin the way.

When Justin grumbled about the sun burning his skin, Lance fashioned pieces of cloth about their heads, securing them with braided lashings. When Justin complained he was tired, Lance would leave him to nap under a shade tree while he continued to ride ahead seeking pathways. When Justin hungered and dug into their food supply, Lance ignored it. The first three days of their trip they saw no people, although they did see herds of game. Lance rode by the herds since they had plenty of food.

“How far must we go to find the clans?” Justin wondered.

“Will you know the sign of your clan? Will you know the tents?”

“I will know.”

“You do not fear seeking them out? They did say they would kill you if you returned, did they not?”

“I do not fear returning with you at my side. As long as we go in to trade something the clan needs and I do not attempt to return or take their maidens, I think they will do me no harm. Do you not wish to see members of your clan once more?”

Lance pulled Mighty Wind to a stop and looked into Justin’s eyes. “If I come across my clan again, I would most likely kill as many of the men as I could see. My family is dead and my clan either treated me badly or did nothing as I was treated badly. It is best for them if our paths do not cross again.”

Justin wondered if Lance’s clan would even recognize him anymore.

On the fourth day Lance announced they would not be traveling. “The horses normally travel little and graze much. It is hard on their hooves to travel all day and with riders. Their hooves have cracked. They may go lame if we do not allow them to rest.”

Justin was thankful for the day off, although he still had been given the chores of building and maintaining the fire, bringing water from the nearby stream and cooking the meals. Lance had captured two rabbits in his snares and handed them over to Justin before midday. Justin also watched as Lance tapped into Pine trees then heated the sap and applied it to the horses’ hooves.

“It may not help, but it will not harm them,” he assured Justin. “I have seen Healers use the sap of trees to seal wounds. It may work to seal and strengthen the hooves.”

Justin nodded as he cut wild carrots and mushrooms into his rabbit stew. “When we meet up with my family’s clan, you will tell them I am your servant. They cannot harm me if I am another man’s property. If they did, they would have to compensate you greatly.”

Lance laughed as he whittled a stick to a point. “And if they do harm you, what shall I ask for as compensation?”

“You will speak of the great amounts of work I do for you and you will say you need five servants to replace me. Then tell them if they give you all women, you will need ten to do all the work I do and you will ask for food, clothing and shelters for the ten women. Then insist you need another dozen to carry that load. If they harm me, you shall find the one who birthed me and you shall take her from the clan and keep her safe.”

“How would I know it is her?”

“You will know her. You will see my face in hers. We have the same eyes and the same hair that curls. You will spot her easily.”

Lance rose up and kissed Justin on the cheek. “I will let no harm come to you, servant or not.”

Justin watched the camp and the horses as Lance slept in the afternoon sun. Justin knew Lance did not sleep well at night and often rose to check on the horses.

The next day they came upon a clan, but it was not the one of Justin’s family. From the description Justin gave of his clan’s sign, their crest, the clan was able to tell them they had seen such a clan that was settled not far away. Within a day’s walk, they said. 

Lance spent several hours talking to the clan elders, while Justin knelt down, holding the horses as if he truly were Lance’s servant. This clan was very interested in the horses. Justin held them as the clan elders came near enough to put their hands on the animals. Lance leapt aboard Mighty Wind and demonstrated how one could be ridden, but also told how they could carry packs or pull loads behind them.

Because they wanted the horses, the clan was happy to trade with Lance for some of his furs. What Lance desired the most was the clan’s new weapon. The elders sent for one of their warriors to demonstrate. Justin watched as the man placed a pointed stick against the string. They called it a bow and arrow. When the string was released the pointed stick sailed swiftly through the air, faster than any man could hurl a spear. Lance was fascinated. Justin remembered the way Lance had sat at their fire and whittled a stick until it looked like an arrow and he knew Lance had had another one of his visions. Most likely a vision of them riding horses and hunting with these bows and arrows.

Before they left, Lance had acquired three bows and several arrows. Even Justin knew they had gotten the better end of the deal, especially since the clan did not appear to need the extra furs, but he also knew they had traded to develop good will. For them to trade well with Lance now for the bows and arrows he desired, would practically ensure that Lance would seek them out to bring them horses when he had some trained.

Justin saw the wisdom in this clan’s elders. Since they had demonstrated the bows and arrows to Lance, he would be able to make his own if he so desired. It would take him longer, but he could do it. This clan, however, could not create their own horses even though they had seen Lance demonstrate how to ride one. They had told Lance they had not seen horses before, so it wasn’t as if they could go out and capture some on their own. Justin was proud to see how the elders respected Lance despite his youth. They were truly wise men.

Although they were invited to spend the night with the clan, Lance told them they had many miles to travel and wished to travel more that night before turning in. Later he confided to Justin that he would be nervous having the horses in the clan’s camp. Lance would not feel they were secure and would have felt the need to stay awake and watch over them. Instead the pair moved on, camping a few miles away from the clan.


	12. Chapter 12

They had not traveled far the next day when Justin began to recognize the terrain.

“This land is familiar to me,” he told Lance.

“You will stay behind me, but you may tell me the way to go.”

Justin nodded. If he was to act as Lance’s servant, it would be more likely he would follow his master, rather than precede him. He held his eyes down as they entered the encampment in the early afternoon. Lance led the way, riding up to the camp, until a guardian halted him. Some of the people of the clan stepped forward, watching the horses and murmuring about them.

“You will step no further until you state your business.”

“I have come to seek trade with your elders. I carry extra furs for winter and I have many more of these horses back at my own camp. I wish to find the clans that are interested in trading for these horses. They can be used to carry hunters and they can carry heavy loads. I have others I can train as I have trained these. If your elders desire to trade for horses next season, they can tell me how many they desire and what they intend to use them for and I shall train them. That is my business. Trade.”

“You will hold here, until the elders have spoken.”

Justin watched Lance who showed no intention of dismounting from his horse. Following Lance’s example, Justin remained seated upon Lyric, but allowed his eyes to drift over the faces of the people as they sought out the horses. They did not see him, they only looked at the three horses. His eyes found some of his sisters in the crowd, but he hadn’t seen his mother by the time the clan elders sent their message back to the sentry.

“They will see you, but your servant must remain here with the beasts.”

“He is not my servant. He is my companion. I do not see how your elders intend to speak of trade for these beasts without having seen me demonstrate their uses.”

Justin raised his eyes to Lance. His words spoke volumes. When Lance claimed him as a companion rather than a servant, he was admitting they had a sexual relationship. He was admitting he held Justin in the same value as he would a mate. If a clan harmed another man’s servant, they would be required to compensate the man fairly. If they harmed his mate or companion, the man could take his revenge and do equal harm to the one who harmed his mate or companion as well as asking for compensation. The words had warmed Justin’s heart.

“The elders wish to speak with you over a meal then they will come see your beasts.”

“We will not separate. Either we all go to see the elders or the elders must come to us. It is up to them. Tell them my horses will not damage their camp. If they upset so much as a water jar, I will compensate the owner for any damage they cause.”

They waited a few more minutes before being told they could advance. When they reached the council of clan elders, Lance tied Mighty Wind’s reins to his sharpened stick and drove it into the ground. He turned to grab Lyric’s reins and held her as he offered his hand to Justin. When Justin slipped off Lyric’s back, he landed heavily and watched as Lance tied her reins to the stake as well. Justin knew the knot was made to release quickly. Lance was prepared to make a fast exit if there were any problems. As his companion, Justin was allowed to sit beside him as he spoke to the elders. Before the meal began a couple of the elders took note of Justin, recognition showing in their eyes.

“You were born of this tribe, were you not?”

Justin bowed his head to show respect. “I was. I was sent away one season ago.”

“And now this man claims you as a companion?”

“Yes.” Justin knew most clans did not allow men to be with other men, but there were a few universal laws that all the clans respected. Although Lance and Justin could never become a part of this clan, they nonetheless respected the claim of companionship. Such pairings were not common in clans at all, but were most prevalent among the roaming young men who were thrown out of the clans. The clans came to respect the unions when they found they lost fewer maidens to men who had claimed other men as companions. Although the elders respected his place at Lance’s side, it was possible his father would try to kill him yet.

Lance raised his head as he heard how quiet and shaky Justin’s voice had become. “I protect him. There are others in our clan. It is a bachelor clan and we are the two youngest.”

“And they allow you to represent them to the elders of other clans? Why has your leader not come himself?”

“I am the one who found and trained the horses, so our leader has granted me the right to come forward and demonstrate and trade the beasts. Our leader prefers to stay at our camp and keep it secure rather than travel. He sends his approval.” Lance reached into a pouch that was strung around his neck by a leather cord. From within it, he produced a small, flat rock with small designs painted on it.

Justin held his smile of admiration to a slight grin. Lance and Chris knew Lance may not be received well due to his youth, so Chris had sent his words of approval on a rock for Lance to show to tribe elders. It meant Lance had been approved to speak for and trade for his leader, with his leader’s full consent. It also meant that Chris was fully responsible for everything Lance said or did.

The elders nodded that they accepted the agreement.

One of the elders nodded to Justin. “If you wish, you may seek out and visit your family. We give our word that you will not be harmed. You have the protection of the elders.”

Justin looked at Lance then happily accepted the offer. One of the elders removed his tribal medallion and placed it over Justin’s head, so that it was visible on his chest. Justin nodded his thanks.

Justin was also given an escort to protect him. The elders were wise enough to know that if some of the clansmen saw a banished youth appear in their camp, they may strike first and question the facts later. In truth, Lance was safer here than Justin was. However, Justin now had the protection of the elders. They believed Lance’s claim on him. Justin knew his clan’s elders’ word would protect him and Lance as well. They were intrigued by the horses and Lance made it clear that he only dealt with men who dealt in good faith.

Justin took a deep breath as he approached what he knew to be his mother’s shelter. Just as each clan had their sign, each man of the tribe had his own sign with which to mark his property. Each mate the man took marked her shelter with her position, the number mate she was said to be. This would ensure that a man’s first mate was always given the respect she deserved, while niceties were not wasted on lesser wives. Second mates were also given respect, nearly as much as first wives. If a man’s first mate perished, his second wife would become his first. It was well known that women treated poorly by others would never forget it. Justin’s mother was a second wife.

He stood in the doorway briefly as he looked in. His mother was there, but saw only his form as his face was hidden in shadows, the sunlight streaming in behind him.

“What is your business here?” she asked. “Do you seek my husband?”

Justin stood another moment, watching her. The lines in her face were deeper than when he saw her last. “I have come to speak to you.”

His mother seemed confused. “If you seek the hand of one of my daughters, you must speak to my husband.”

Justin stepped forward. “I do not want the hand of one of your daughters, for I have no desire to marry one of my sisters.”

Justin’s mother rose to her feet and came closer, turning him so the sunlight showed his features. “My child! Justin!” Her arms wrapped around his waist and she kissed his cheek. “Come in and tell me of your adventures. I cried for many days after my husband said he had sent you away.”

“I did as well, Mother. I begged him to let me say goodbye to you, but he would not allow it. He said I had disgraced you and I must leave at once.” Justin moved forward and sat on the pillows his mother indicated to him. She sat across from him, peering into his face and holding his hands between them. “I did not wish to go, but he said he would kill me if I did not.”

“I have missed you, my child. I am pleased to know you have survived and that you are safe. You look healthy. You have grown so tall.”

“I did not survive on my own. I would have perished for I had not the skills to survive. Two hunters found me and took me back to their clan. It is a bachelor clan, Mother. They took me in and cared for me. We have a clan of five.”

“And no women to care for you?”

“Jace cares for us. He is a man, but he cooks and sews as well as any woman and knows the secrets of the Healers as well. Chris is our leader and Joey is his second. Lance and I are the youngest. I am here with him as he deals with the elders. We have found horses and Lance has captured and trained them. He has a special way with them. Lance is also a hunter and warrior. I help him with the horses, but I also assist Jace. He has taught me to prepare meals and he will teach me to make and repair clothing and shelters.”

“It is a woman’s work, Justin. You should hunt with the men.”

Justin smiled and patted her hand. “Mother, you do not understand. We are all men and the work still needs to be done.”

“You should barter for wives. I know it is done.”

“We do not wish to have wives. We are happy together, in each other’s arms.”

She moved back a few inches, surprised at his words. “You lay with these men?”

“Yes, we lay with each other and we care for each other. They protect me. It is only by their hands that I am alive today. Do you love me less, now that you know?”

Leaning forward once more, his mother touched her hand to his cheek. “My child, you are born from me and I shall always love you no matter which path you travel. You are alive and you are healthy. For that I am thankful. If you tell me you are happy and you enjoy your life then I shall rejoice for you.”

Justin’s hand covered hers. “I am happy. I enjoy my life with the others. They care for me deeply and I care for them. My only sorrow was that I did not get to say goodbye to my mother and that she who bore me knew not whether I lived or not. Now you know and I am pleased. My heart is now at peace.”

“Then my heart is also at peace.”

While Lance spent the afternoon with the elders, demonstrating the uses of the horses and discussing the prospects of trading with the clan in the future, Justin sat with his mother and they discussed his siblings and his life with the bachelor clan. Later, they walked together and he saw his siblings and others of the clan. It was not often those who left the clan returned to visit. If they had not been taken into another clan, they would be killed. Most did not wish to take the chance of returning. Justin could not resist seeing his mother once more and letting her know he was happy and cared for.

After an evening meal, Lance and Justin said their goodbyes and once again mounted their horses. They didn’t travel far from the clan, but Lance still felt safer on their own. 

“Tomorrow, we turn south to seek a new homestead,” he told Justin.


	13. Chapter 13

The night was warm and clear, so the pair lay side by side, looking up at the stars.

“Were you pleased to see your mother?”

“Yes. I told her how Chris and Joey found me and how you all cared for me. She is pleased that I am happy and healthy.”

“That is good.”

“She did not seem especially pleased that I have become as one of her daughters.”

“In what way? That you prepare our meals? As if hunters in your tribe do not do the same when they are on a hunt.”

“Lance, would it be okay if I penetrated you tonight?”

Lance chuckled and tossed his skins aside before laying on his back again. “Is that all? My body is yours, to do with as you please.”

“Really?”

“As long as you use the oils and go slowly.”

Justin took his time retrieving the oils. First he rolled Lance onto his stomach and massaged the oils into his back. 

Lance closed his eyes and moaned appreciatively. “Just what I needed. Feels good.”

Justin leaned down to kiss Lance’s neck, then kissed a trail down his spine. “I can tell that my mighty hunter works hard and his muscles grow tired. I will not have you crying out in pain when I am on top of you.”

Lance chuckled and allowed Justin’s hands to work the oils in, gasping when Justin’s finger poked inside of him. “I will go slowly,” Justin promised. “Chris says it is easier if you stay on your hands and knees.”

Lance sighed then pushed himself onto his elbows and knees, clasping his hands before him. Justin decided that would do as he continued to work at relaxing Lance’s body. After a few more minutes, Justin balanced himself directly behind Lance, leaning on one knee and one foot. Keeping the oil within reach, he oiled his hands and massaged the oils onto his own penis before plunging into Lance’s hole. Lance gasped.

“I’ll go slowly,” Justin promised. Lance relaxed when Justin reached around and began pumping his cock with an oil slicked hand. “If I hurt you, you will tell me and I will stop.”

“No, it’s good. Just a little tight.”

They both knew Lance would never admit to feeling actual pain. Hunters and warriors were to be strong, fearless and they should be able to ignore pain. Justin soon became lost in his own thrusting. The friction he created filled him with lustful desire, which caused him to thrust harder and faster into Lance. He had moved both of his hands to Lance’s hips to steady himself as his eyes drifted shut. 

Lance only put up with the neglect for a few minutes before complaining, “Justin! I miss your hand rubbing against my cock.”

Justin smiled and dropped his hand once more to Lance’s cock and grasped it tightly before he began pumping it. “As you wish, oh mighty hunter.”

Lance came first, but his orgasm touched off Justin’s. Within moments of coming, Justin slipped out of Lance and collapsed beside him on the furs. The pair snuggled together under the moonlight. Lance’s mouth sought out Justin’s and they shared one deep kiss before drifting into sleep.

The next morning, Lance woke Justin early by rolling on top of him and kissing him. “I know you prefer to sleep the day away, my great lover, but we must begin our journey early. The sooner we begin, the sooner we will be able to return to the cave and the others.”

“I wish it could just be us two. I like it better with just the two of us.”

“Do you not miss Jace and Joey and Chris? They are our family now, Justin. I miss them. I wish to return to them as quickly as possible.”

Justin’s hand ran across the surface of Lance’s chest, teasing the sprouting chest hair. Justin wondered when he would have his own. Jace had admitted to shaving his claiming he preferred the smoothness. “I like thinking that we’re together.”

“I see. You only wish to have one mate, rather than four?”

“I do love them, but I think I love you the most.”

“A few months ago you would have said Chris was your favorite. At times you would say Joey and other times you would say Jace. You are growing Justin and your mind changes about things often.”

“I think you love Jace.”

“I love you all.”

“You love Jace the most.”


	14. Chapter 14

They traveled for several more days. Sometimes they stuck to paths made by other clans or migrating herds and other times, Lance would ride to the top of a hill and point out the way he wished to travel. Justin grew weary of the constant travel, but held his words within him. Lance noticed the smile the day he told Justin they would be heading back to the cave. They had not found a specific spot, but Lance had seen many suitable places and was certain many more existed. The land was broad and there was plenty of room to roam and settle.

Lance thought they were still two days away from the cave when he noticed something odd in the distance. Long after the sun had set and the night sky turned dark above them, a orangish-red glow flickered at the skyline. 

“It concerns me,” Lance told Justin.

“What? The sunset?”

“It is not the sunset. It is far too late and in the wrong direction. The sun always sets in the west.”

“Maybe the sun has shifted.”

“I saw the sun set in the west hours ago. It is not the sun. It concerns me.”

Justin fell asleep as Lance continued to pace and watch the reddish horizon. At dawn he shook Justin awake. “We must leave now! Get up!”

Justin blinked his eyes at Lance. Not even a moment passed before Lance grabbed the youth’s arm and pulled him to his feet. That’s when Justin noticed the horses were tacked up, the fire was extinguished and all the gear was stored except for the fur he had been sleeping on. Lance tossed Justin’s skins at him and began to quickly roll up the sleeping furs. He had everything packed and had swung aboard Mighty Wind before Justin had dressed.

The white horse now also eyed the northern horizon. The red was still visible, but with the light of dawn, Justin could see the gray wisps rising above the glowing red of the horizon. 

“It can only be one thing, Justin. It is a great fire that will consume all things.”

“Fire?”

“The prairie grasses are dry and prone to burn easily. Perhaps the sun has started this or perhaps a hunter’s fire got away from him and began to burn the grasses. I have heard of such great fires. It will eventually cease to burn, but until it goes out it will take all the land and life in its path. We must ride hard and try to reach the cave and warn them.”

The words tumbled through Justin’s mind as he watched the horizon. If what Lance said was true, if that was a fire and it was heading toward them, most likely it was between them and the cave and had already passed where the cave was. Again he held his words inside as he mounted Lyric. He knew nothing he could say would stop Lance from trying to reach the others. Justin thought for a moment about staying where he was alone and letting Lance go if he insisted, but he knew his life would be empty and meaningless if he was made to be alone. After taking a deep breath, he nudged Lyric forward, following after Lance.

They had only traveled half a day when Mighty Wind planted his feet down firmly and refused to move any closer to the fire. No matter how much Lance tried to push him forward, the stallion refused. Justin could already feel the hot breath of the flames flowing passed them. There was a roar in the distance. At first Justin thought it was a river, but then realized it was the fire consuming the land and trees.

“Lance, we must turn back.”

“We must find the others.”

“Mighty Wind knows it is not safe. Please don’t battle with him. Let us accept his wisdom and return to safer ground.”

Lance remained still and scanned the flames on the horizon as if searching for a sign of Joey, Jace or Chris.

“Either the fire started between us and separates us or it has already consumed the place where the cave was. Either way, there is nothing we can do until the fire dies down, except run for safety or sacrifice ourselves.”

Tears began to run down Lance’s face. “They may not have seen the flames or may not have known what it meant. They could have easily been trapped on top of the mountain while everything around them burned. And the horses. They would have been trapped in the canyon. I can hear them screaming, trying to escape.”

Justin hoped it wasn’t already too late for them to escape. “The others would not wish us to die. We must head for safety. Then we can return when it is safe.”

Justin reached forward to grab one of Mighty Wind’s reins and turned the stallion’s head away from the fire. Mighty Wind wasted no time in taking off at a gallop, neighing for Lyric and Beauty to follow.

They traveled until they were too tired to travel further. Justin had led them across two rivers and hoped that was enough to keep them safe. The next day they traveled further south, until the horses seemed to relax and Lance said he felt they were safe from the fire. The pair quietly set up their camp and watched the horizon. As evening fell, Justin moved beside Lance and laid his head in Lance’s lap.

“I hope they are safe. I do miss them and wish to see them again.”

Lance wiped a tear away and continued to watch, as if looking for a sign.


	15. Chapter 15

For the next three days, Justin took care of the camp and prepared the meals, although Lance ate little. Mighty Wind stayed close to Lance and watched the horizon as well. On the fourth day, Lance seemed to come back to his senses to a certain extent. Justin watched as Lance tacked up Mighty Wind and swung onto his back.

“Are you going hunting?” Justin asked him.

“I have taught you how to snare rabbits. You must learn to manage on your own.”

Justin frowned. “Where are you going? Why are you leaving me?”

“If they got away, Mighty Wind can find them. I am going to ride and see if we can find them or any sign of them. Perhaps they have joined with a clan to travel away from the fire. They knew we were going south. If they did get away from the fire, they would head south, too. I must find them.”

“I wish you a swift and safe journey,” Justin said sadly.

“I will return to you. I have faith in Mighty Wind. If his mares are out there, we will find them.”

Most days Lance returned, occasionally bearing small game which he tossed to Justin to prepare. At first Justin would ask if Lance had seen anything promising, but each day the answer was the same, so Justin stopped asking. They ate their meals in silence.

Several days later, Mighty Wind tossed his head high into the air, sniffing the wind. His loud neigh woke Lance and Justin both. They saw him take off before Lance could stop him. Instead he grabbed Beauty and bridled her quickly. After leaping onto her bare back, he urged her to follow the stallion in the early morning’s dim light. Lyric also whinnied and followed them, not wanting to be left alone. Justin watched them go and wished he could have grabbed Lyric before she took off.

Lance followed after Mighty Wind for over an hour. Mostly he cantered, but sometimes he slowed down to pick his trail down a slope. Eventually he saw the white horse stand at the top of a hill, turning back to nicker to him, urging him and Beauty to follow. Then he turned and let out a ringing neigh. He waited until Lance caught up before he began picking his way down the hillside. Once Lance was at the peak, he looked down and saw the herd below him. The sky was clouded over and the valley was covered with mist, but Lance could still make out the horses moving around. When he spotted Sky, he knew this wasn’t just any herd of horses. It was Mighty Wind’s herd. His herd. 

Nudging Beauty forward, he hoped he would find three humans amongst the horses. He tried not to picture the horses having broken themselves out of the canyon. He held onto the thought that they had been released by the guys. And he hoped the guys had ridden out themselves.

It was Chris he saw first. The horses had begun neighing their greetings back to their stallion and began cantering about, kicking their heels into the air. The noise had awakened him. His face was tired and he stood his ground as Lance approached. He didn’t move until Lance spoke.

“Are you all well? Are Jace and Joey with you?”

His words fell onto Chris’ ears and caused him to smile as he reached out to touch Beauty’s hide. “I thought I was dreaming. But you are real, aren’t you?”

Lance dropped onto the ground and embraced Chris. “Yes, I am real. I am very real and so happy to see you.”

“Jace saw the fire and insisted we leave the cave. We left much behind.”

“Are you all safe?”

“We lost a couple colts along the way. They couldn’t keep up. The mares would not leave them, so I had to kill them myself,” Chris confessed, his eyes watering.

“I’m sure it was necessary. Mighty Wind would have done the same to save a mare. What of Jace and Joey?”

“Come.”

Lance followed Chris to where the others slept. “They are well,” Chris noted quietly. “But they are exhausted. We had to travel swiftly and slept little. Where is Justin?”

“He is well and is back at our camp. It is not too far.”

“I like this place,” Chris nodded. “There is a small brook here for the horses and a river is nearby. It would be easy to contain the horses here, I think.”

“It is a good place.”

Lance leaned over to kiss both Joey and Jace and watched as they awoke and hugged him. “Justin is safe. I will bring him here.”

“We should all go get him,” suggested Jace. “So we can all be together. I wish us to always be together.”

“How is your hand?”

“I am managing. Chris has taught me to do my work anyway. I have been working some with the horses.”

“Let’s go get Justin. He has been missing all of you as much as I have.” 

~~~END~~~  
March 16, 2004


End file.
